Worlds Collide
by Cranberry Knight-XIII
Summary: After Cocoon's fall, Etro's dying voice sends Lightning on a mission to retrieve Cloud Strife, the only other mortal strong enough to stand beside her as Etro's Guardians. As Valhalla stands on the brink of downfall, they and they alone remain the single best chance for humanity's survival... One journey, two soldiers brought together by fate. And so it begins.
1. A New Crystal Legend

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **This chapter has now been completely re-written and revised from what was previously uploaded in late 2011, a few months before _Final Fantasy XIII-2 _released in Japan. Wow. Inconsistencies with the rest of the story have been fixed, and this revised chapter is a better idea of my writing style today, two years later. Thank you for reading, and feel free to **review**! They are so glorious…

Valiantly,

**Cranberry Knight-XIII**

* * *

><p><strong>.:<span>WORLDS COLLIDE<span>:. **

_Chapter I – A New Crystal Legend_

_Wake up. _

Deep in her crystal sleep, a slight warmth began to creep through the crystalline contours of her body, beginning from her toes to her head, spreading slowly. At the edges of her drifting mind, a strange pulling sensation arose, nudging her, like some foreign encouragement reviving her body, entrapped in a shell of crystal. Gradually, feeling spread through her, starting from her feet to the top of her head. The smooth crystal shone briefly in the setting sun, until with a jolt it dissipated and was swept away on the wind, revealing a returning soul to life.

Cool air met her face in a gust, filling her nostrils with the scent of dirt and grass. Lightning couldn't remember a smell that could be more welcome.

Her eyes fluttered open, perfect eyelashes giving way to a familiar landscape of dirt and plentiful grass that stretched as far as she could see. Her breath came in a shuddering gasp, as if breaking the surface of water. The young soldier's crystalline eyes flitted from the world and down to her hands. Her eyes widened as she stared at her normal GC uniform. It was all there: navy blue gloves, red leather pack strapped to her thigh, and even her zirconium lightning pendent. She lifted her hands, testing the strength in them and making a fist. The cool leather encasing her hand stretched slightly, the sun reflecting off of the golden bullet cases on the back of the glove. This was real.

As the sun shifted, a looming shadow slightly shaded the ground. The pink-haired l'Cie lifted her eyes and whipped around, and sucked in a breath, shocked.

A giant crystal structure towered over the Pulsian world like a sentry at his post. Complex swirls and jabs of crystal jutted smoothly and sometimes irregularly on the surface. Wisps of impossibly thin crystal swirls flowed together to create a sold covering of the entire planet, but left a gaping opening. In the middle of it all, Lightning saw, was the now non-existent light that was once Eden. The crystal spiraled into a thick pillar that connected Cocoon to Pulse.

There was commotion at the base of the crystallized Cocoon but Lightning didn't notice. She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Cocoon…was gone. Just minutes, or was it hours, maybe even days ago?, it seemed as if all hope was lost as she floated upwards into the air, surrounded by flurries of crystal, looking down at Vanille and Fang as the two embraced their fate.

"They did it," Lightning breathed, "they saved the world."

The grass slightly swished behind her. "No, they gave us a new one."

Lightning turned in relief to find Snow, Sazh, and Hope approaching her side, eyes disbelieving as they took in the beauty of Cocoon's crystallized form.

Sazh grinned. "That's one gift I'll forgive 'em for not wrapping," he said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah."

_This is as much as we can do. The rest is up to you._

The four former l'Cie cast their eyes to the hundreds of people crowding and stumbling along at the base of the crystal pillar. Several Guardian Corps and PSICOM soldiers were guiding citizens along airship platforms as they gaped at the scenery around them.

"So…does this mean we completed our Focus?" Hope wondered aloud, vocalizing the question they all had.

"Cocoon's seen better days, that's for sure."

Sazh looked up at Cocoon again, the structure reflecting in his dark eyes. "I'd say that qualifies as a demolition: Focus complete."

_Huh. Whatever you want to believe._

Lightning shook her head in amazement, smiling up at the crystal sculpture. "It really is a miracle…"

"My brand!" Hope exclaimed suddenly. The others whipped around. "It's gone!"

All of their hearts stopped. Sazh was the first to dare to look, astonished to find no sign of an ugly l'Cie tattoo, no longer tainted red printed across the chest and instead, only the faintest of scars.

Snow glanced at his arm, lips breaking into a wide grin. Sazh threw up his arms as Hope smiled. Finally after their endless journey the brands were gone for good. Lightning looked down at her uniform, laying a hand over where her brand used to be. She could just _tell _the brand wasn't there anymore. The dark feeling was gone, that feeling she used to get that made her feel as if her time was running short.

Out of the corner of her eye Lightning noticed Snow looking at her, or rather, Snow looking past her. At first his face displayed pure disbelief but quickly morphed into the most elated expression Lightning had ever seen.

"_Serah!" _he shouted, taking off at a dead sprint. Lightning, Sazh, and Hope turned to face the horizon, blinded by light. Lightning shaded her eyes from the setting sun with a hand, eyes widening in raw disbelief. Still quite a ways away a tall, thin figure was strolling along next to a small boy with a dark afro, much like Sazh's.

The tall figure hadn't seen or heard Snow and their attention was focused on each other.

"Yeah," the little boy exclaimed, "an-an, there was a big bunch a chocobos!"

"There was?"

"Yeah!"

"Hey, look over there."

Suddenly the tall figure's facial features cleared. Serah Farron, the Pulse l'Cie that she had fought both Cocoon and Pulse's fal'Cie to save, alive and whole.

_"Serah!"_ Snow exclaimed, wrapping Serah in a delighted embrace and twirling her around, causing the younger Farron to lose her balance. She laughed and threw her arms around him in raw elation.

"It is," the soldier breathed, her lips breaking into a very small (and rare) smile.

Sazh ran up to his little boy and cradled him to his chest, patting him to check for injuries. "Dajh! Are you okay?" Dajh's only reply was a muffled "Yeah, Daddy!" as his face was buried in his father's shoulder. A burst of happiness came from Sazh in the form of laughter and Dajh was soon giggling along with him.

From behind Lightning came Hope's voice. "They're really gone, aren't they?"

Lightning smiled slightly and placed a reassuring hand in his shoulder. Just the fact that he knew she would be there to help him guide him through whatever future ordeals challenged him reassured his conscious more than words ever could. "I guess they really meant for this to be good-bye. Then again," he said, picking his head up, "we've changed our fates before."

Before he could say another word Serah galloped to meet her, releasing Snow's hand as the Farrons gazed into each other's eyes. It was Serah who stepped forward first, wrapping her elder sister in tight hold, shedding a happy tear. Lightning herself willed herself to hold back the tears of contentment that threatened to overflow.

"Serah," she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Serah smiled and withdrew from the embrace, smiling. "It's okay."

Lightning opened her mouth to say something else but Serah was suddenly jerked from her, a firm hand gripping her shoulder. "Hey, no apologies now! We've got a wedding to plan!"

Lightning shook her head and laughed. He never gave up, did he?

"You don't waste a lot of time, do you?" Hope teased.

Snow laughed. For now, it seemed as if he had all the time in the world. "No I don't!"

"That's right, just charge in, guns blazin'."

Everything…was perfect.

"I swear, I _will _make her happy," Snow pledged.

Normal. Nothing could go wrong.

"I believe you."

In the shadow of Cocoon's new, crystal shell, six l'Cie reunited with each other. Because of the miracles that occurred that day they stood together with the knowledge that the fights they bled and sweated through, the insults they received, the wounds they lived with...it was worth it all. Latching onto a small chance of survival with a promise to challenge destiny.

"Congrats."

Who could have ever known a simple, innocent promise would save an entire planet?

_When prayers turn to promises, not even fate can stand in their way. _

_ We held the light of hope in our hearts, and achieved the impossible. Now we live on, to greet the new dawn._

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>I hope you enjoyed! I will next be revising chapters 2-5, and updating a few things in 6, if anyone is interested.

-**Cranberry Knight-XIII**


	2. The Hour

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Chapter 2 of Worlds Collide updated as of 9/21/2013. I fixed a few grammar mistakes, beefed up the diversity in words (vocab, essentially), and slightly lengthened it to make more sense. Returning readers, remember good ol' Ghost? Also, this chapter has been renamed from "Time of the Foundation" to "The Hour." I hope you enjoy, and feel free to leave a **review**! I always response to those with PM activated.

Introduction to "BGMS": infrequently placed throughout the story (depending on length and scene, usually), these are simply small suggestions for those that like to listen to music when reading. They are hand-picked by me and are exactly what I listen to when writing, so I find it an interesting way to get into the writer's head and also listen to some great music as well. They are not in any way distracting because they're always placed beneath a line and only the brackets (**[]**) are bolded. I hope you enjoy those!

Also note that chapters are much, much longer in the future.

Valiantly,

-**Cranberry Knight-XIII**

* * *

><p><strong>.:<strong>**WORLDS COLLIDE****:.**

_Chapter II – The Hour_

After the initial bouts of happiness that sprung from Snow and Serah's mouths after hearing the very words of her marriage blessing, Serah was overcome with excitement as she grabbed Lightning's hand in the middle of their reunion huddle.

"You have to tell me everything that happened since the day at the Vestige...I could hear everything from my sleep through the crystal tear, but even then...everything was like a hazy dream, like I was hearing everything in a film–"

Serah's mouth snapped shut as her eyes trailed over Lightning's shoulder in reaction to the sound of footsteps nearing the group of former l'Cie. The elder Farron immediately followed her gaze to find a Guardian Corps soldier striding towards them with his gun slung over his shoulder in a laid-back fashion. Snow pushed Serah behind him. Just like that, a dark cloud of tension came over the huddle as they each in turn quieted. After all, the Cocoon military had been their enemies for months, always chasing and hunting down the l'Cie. And when they did find l'Cie…it was pure carnage. Sazh lifted Dajh off of his head and held the boy at his side. Hope didn't shrink away, watching Lightning as she fearlessly stepped forward to meet the man–with all the hatred that had built up over their past journey misting her eyes–and initiated the normal military greeting: arm straight out, bend at the elbow, meeting fingers to shoulder. The other soldier repeated the gesture.

Lightning wasted no time. "If you're here to take us in, then you can turn around right now," she said coolly. Hope glanced down at her hand, which was cautiously inching towards the handle of her gunblade. "We're not going anywhere."

"On the contrary, Sergeant Farron, I'm here to bring a message," the man replied, and removed his heavy mask from his face, revealing dark brown hair and twinkling green eyes. Had Lightning nearly let her composure slip, she probably would've laughed with relief.

"Sergeant Ghost, isn't it?" Lightning's shoulders relaxed, as did the group of nervous survivors. "This is a surprise."

"Yep. I remember you from the BSR. Weren't you the one who saved me from that pack of rabid chocobos?" Ghost asked, scratching his head.

"Yes."

"Nasty bunch of bruises I had afterward. You'd think that someone would've noticed twelve giant birds running around in broad daylight with no riders, but hey, we've all got out priorities, right?"

Lightning ceased listening at his drawling.

"Ghost. What are you here for, exactly?"

"Right," the young man droned on, scratching the back of his head. "So here's the deal, according to one of my superiors. Ever since the fall a few hours ago, rumors around the base have been flying. Well, you know Cocoon. My superiors think it would be best if you guys were to lay low, slip off the radar until this is all cleared up."

"_What?"_

"Off the radar? They just saved Cocoon, they shouldn't be the ones to be blamed..." Serah murmured, pulling away from Snow's grasp and flanking her sister on one side. "We're not a threat anymore. Our l'Cie powers were taken away. Please…" she begged.

Ghost scrutinized her face, and wrinkled his nose, as if he'd smelled something foul. "I recognize you," he said. Lightning's younger sister's eyes hardened. She knew what he was going to say. "You're that girl! The one who got lost in the Vestige in Bodhum! You're the one who started this mess. What in the world are you still doing here? If anything, we should detain _you._"

Lightning stepped forward. "Serah isn't going anywhere with you. What happened wasn't her fault."

Sazh smelled trouble. "Hey now. Let's just calm down. We can sort things out later, but right now we need to figure out what we're going to do. Like she said, we're no threat anymore. We want to help in any way we can."

Ghost stared at the younger Farron with uncertainty, but ultimately backed off.

"Oh, no. We know you're not a threat to our people anymore, but you still have to consider the hatred the Cocoon populace still harbors for you. As soon as they come to their wits in this place, get cozy…they'll be looking for you. There are still many who were very close to the military...relatives, wives, husbands, parents, children. After all that propaganda about the rampaging l'Cie, the populace pretty much stayed indoors, until you guys arrived in Eden. After that, everything just about went–," Ghost said.

Lightning waved around her hand. "We understand that. When will an announcement be made?"

"Huh? About what?"

"_Us_. What really happened."

"Oh...uh, no idea."

"Okay, what about Cocoon? How many people survived the crystallization?" she asked. Abruptly, a stifled cry came from Hope.

_"No! You're my son! This is your home."_

_"We'll figure this out together…"_

Hope suddenly remembered his father, possibly still with the Guardian Corps…but not everyone had made it out alive on Cocoon. Was his father a survivor…or a victim? Hope knew he should have stayed with his dad! And now, he was probably dead along with the thousands of others who died in the fall.

Lightning's eyes hardened and she turned to Ghost, her comrade-in-arms and nearly snarled the next few words: "Casualty report," she demanded.

He wasn't allowed to give any casualty reports of any kind, especially Lightning Farron. Ghost started to back off a bit, raising his arms in defeat and mumbling, "Just lay low for awhile, Sergeant Farron. You and these guys. Just for awhile, I swear. The boss has plans to alter the civilians' opinions, and everything will be fine after that. I swear."

Lightning towered over Ghost by a few inches. "Casualty report _now,_ Ghost. That's an order."

"You can't give orders anymore, Sergeant Farron…or should I just call you Lightning now? You quit the Guardian Corps." Hope noticed that Ghost had cocked his gun. Hopefully he wasn't really going to shoot a fellow – although former l'Cie – comrade in the GC.

Lightning took a step forward and pointed at the crystallized form of Cocoon. "Two of my friends died to save Cocoon, Ghost. I don't care if I'm in the GC anymore or not. I have a right to know," she said.

Ghost remained defiant. "Sorry. Classified military info, Nightlight," he said, using the nickname that she hated so much.

Before Lightning could punch him, however, he spoke again. "So that's that! You guys have been ordered to stay low for the sake of the populace's nerves. The Sanctum knows you're not l'Cie anymore, but we can't control the public. With that in mind, I'll see ya around. Oh, and Lightning, after this is all cleared up, we could use a good officer back in the ranks. Just so you know," Ghost said, then hurriedly trotted back to the base of Cocoon, leaving a very annoyed Lightning.

How dare he tease her? And then tell them they had to stay hidden after they had saved the world?

No one spoke. The chocobo's chirps filled in the silence as he flitted from Sazh's afro to Dajh's.

Finally Hope stepped forward. "How can they expect us to stay hidden when we have nowhere to go?" he asked.

Sazh sighed and put a hand on his shoulder. "Got me, kid. One thing I do know, though," Sazh said thoughtfully, "is that the civilians must be pretty terrified right now…maybe even too terrified to notice a l'Cie running around…"

"Who knows?" Lightning answered, still glaring after Ghost, her _former _comrade-in-arms.

"What's on your mind, old man?" Snow asked, catching Sazh's expression.

"I'm thinking that those civilians won't notice an old codger like me helping out with transporting the survivors. You know, pilot stuff."

Snow straightened. "What, are you going to ask to fly one of those babies?"

Sazh smiled. "Now you're talking," he said, beginning to walk towards the base of Cocoon. After all, with a former Cocoon l'Cie on his shoulder, Dajh, the Sanctum couldn't all be that angry towards l'Cie…could they? Perhaps if the civilians _did _notice Sazh the former l'Cie, they would see that he was helping to save lives, not end them as everyone had thought under Primarch Dysley's twisted words and cunning propoganda.

"They may have hated us, but I'm not going to just give up on them. I'm going to help in any way I can," he called over his shoulder. Snow followed suit, chatting with Sazh and his son.

Serah sighed and looked around quickly, then trotted after Snow, beckoning to her sister.

Hope grabbed Lightning's hand, who was still contemplating whether she should take up Ghost on his offer or wring his neck – either one sounded like a good option at this point. "We should catch up," Hope said, releasing her hand after he had her attention.

"You're right."

He glanced at her. She seemed to be a little nervous, which was uncommon for their fearless leader. "Are you okay, Light?"

"Yeah," she answered, walking forward. She placed a steadying hand on his back. "It's just…strange. After running and fighting for so long, I almost...don't know what to do with myself."

"We can experience a normal life again."

Lightning nodded in silent assent, feeling oddly at unease.

"Hey, Light…do you think we'll ever see them again?" Hope asked.

Lightning wished she could comfort him and assure that Fang and Vanille were alive and could return from the crystal. In a sense, they weren't _dead_, but they were unable to move, crystallized, and unable to speak. She knew he cared a lot about them, just as they all did, but in order for them all to move on, they needed to either accept their friends' fate…or find a way to free them from crystal stasis.

"I'm not sure, Hope. Maybe, maybe not. Remember what you said earlier? We've changed our fates before…" she echoed, remembering his words to her. "Maybe there is a way to free them. If we were still Pulse l'Cie, it wouldn't be so hard to search for a solution, but we're humans now. We don't have any of our powers anymore."

The boy frowned, but continued walking. "I'll find a way to free them…eventually."

Lightning smiled. Before the Gapra Whitewood, Hope Estheim would have never risked his life to go on an unnecessary adventure. Yet here he was, telling her that he was going to save Oerba Yun Fang and Oerba dia Vanille.

"I know you will, Hope."

Unfortunately fate chose her in his stead. The future had been set in motion.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE<strong>: Hope you enjoyed!Also, for whatever reason Hope has always reminded me of Bilbo Baggins. Sad and humorous.

-**Cranberry Knight-XIII**


	3. The Realm Beyond Time

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Remember that Light's POV story title has been changed to "Worlds Collide", just so there isn't any confusion anymore...and yes, Cloud will be making his entry soon within three chapters, so don't worry.

And if you're looking for a way to make a story really come alive, especially this one, listen to these songs: "Final Fantasy XIII-2 – Overture at the beginning, "Mog's Marvelous Plan with Flan" up until the ending, then perhaps "Historia Crux". All songs from the new FF13-2 soundtrack, composed by various people. Just a suggestion to get the most out of the story. Enjoy, comment, REVIEW, favorite, blah, blah, blah!

Write on and thank you for reading!,

**WriteFF13**

* * *

><p><strong>.:Worlds Collide:.<strong>

_Chapter 3-The Realm Beyond Time_

Walking towards Cocoon's crystal pillar, to her sister and her friends, Lightning couldn't help but feel uneasy. She glanced at Hope's relaxed face, but he showed no signs of unease. Neither did Sazh, Snow, Serah, or Dajh. The pillar sparkled in the sunlight, but a faint trail of blackness crawling towards it made her stop in her tracks. What was that? She squinted her eyes and scanned the blue sky.

Lightning's eyes shot open.

_What's happening? _

Dark tendrils of blackness crept through the sky, shooting towards Cocoon, surrounding it in a thick blanket of darkness. The sun was blotted out as the darkness poured in out of nowhere, suffocating and thick, it seemed to swallow up any oxygen left in the atmosphere. She spun around, her muscles tense, her hands curled into fists. Lightning's breath stopped.

Dark tentacles of chaos twirled above the grassy ground of the steppe, aiming straight for her. Mixed in with the tendrils was vibrant gold whisps, small beacons of light amidst the blackness. Lightning stepped back, terrified. The strips of chaos licked at her boots, and she jumped out of its reach. Lightning whirled to warn her friends, but they hadn't noticed anything. They merely stood there as the chaos wound its way up their legs. It was as if the darkness was eating away their skin!

Lightning reached out a hand to stop – for what, she didn't know – and screamed, "Watch out!"

Suddenly she was hurled forward onto the ground as a wave of chaotic substances slammed into her, unfurling to reveal a strange building in the distance with glowing green rings at the top. As she laid on the ground, Lightning's eyes widened as the ground began to crack and break away beneath her feet. She didn't know what that strange building was, or how it had suddenly appeared on Pulse, but she wasn't sticking around to find out.

She leapt to her feet and demanded her legs to move, to carry her away from the danger that threatened to swallow her up. Her arms pumped hard, her legs going faster than they'd ever gone before, but it was hopeless. The dirt under her feet broke away, pulling Lightning to the edge of a fast-dissolving piece of land. She willed her arms to hold on, to pull herself up and escape…

Lightning tried to yell, to get the attention of her friends, but was shocked when no sound came out. A roar filled her ears as she heard more ground break away. Digging her elbow into the ground, she tried to pry the fingers of blackness that had attached themselves to her neck.

_No! Why is this happening to me? Let me go! _

And she fell, backwards into the abyss. She screamed bloody murder, but no sound came. She tried to fight, but what was there to fight? There was nothing but blackness. Her red cape flapped, creating a steady rhythm that made her sleepy, as strange as sleep sounded in such a horrible place.

_'Sleep…'_

Images flashed through her eyes, both a replay of her adventure as a l'Cie and visions of people she had never seen nor heard of before. Deep in sleep she gave in as dreams clouded her mind.

_W-where…am I? Who were those people? I feel like I'm floating in an abyss of nothing. _

An image flashed before her eyes: a small girl with strange, tribal clothing was sitting on a floating couch…bright lights lined the walls on either side of the couch…

_I-I know that place! The Narthex…in Orphan's Cradle…who is the girl, though? _

A bright pink flash gave way to a strange man in purple, with a large sword. He was talking to someone, a girl, a girl with silver hair and a strange veil…was it the same girl from the Narthex?

_Orphan's Cradle…where the last battles were fought… _

Images flashed as a strange sort of peacefulness overcame her, settling deep into her bones until all her stress and worry faded along with the dreams…the dreams left.

* * *

><p>She awakened at the sound of waves gently breaking upon a shore…she breathed in deeply through her nose, then pushed herself to her knees. She realized that the ground was sparkling with a thousand tiny lights. Picking up a handful of the substance, she was amazed to see that it was millions of tiny shards of black quartz, piled up on the beach. There wasn't any sand at all, just black quartz and several glowing crystals. Lightning was amazed at how beautiful it was, yet eerie as well.<p>

Massaging her head, she shakily rose to her feet, and her eyes fell on a world unlike anything other she had ever seen.

Dark, sad buildings lined the shores of the black beach, empty and pitiful. There wasn't a single trace of color in the small town. Deep pillars seemed to struggled like an old man on his walking stick with the weight of the buildings, which seemed ancient and mythical. Lightning wondered if anyone lived here, in this dead world. She checked to make sure she still had her Blazefire Saber. It swung from the leather pack hanging from her waist.

Walking hesitantly forward, Lightning caught a glimpse of a tall temple with thick, bright green rings intertwining around the top of the building, looking like a sort of Nautilus roller coaster. Lightning was shocked when a loud and clear _dong _rang from the green panels of glass. When she looked closer, she saw a sort of clock hand centered in the middle of the largest green ring, the ring that was slanted above the temple. It was only then that she realized that strange patterns of light were shooting around inside of the rings.

"What is this place?" she asked quietly. Of course she received no answer, but something strange happened.

She felt a queer urge to travel to the towering temple in the middle of the buildings and enter it. She didn't know why. With the strange surroundings of this place, she should be looking for a way to escape and find Pulse.

_'Go forward and accept your destiny.'_

A sudden force drove her forwards, commanded her legs to move her forward, her back stiff. Lightning tried to take control of her body again, to stop and turn. She didn't know what was causing it, but she could feel the waves of despair and darkness rolling off of the buildings, clogging the air with an unsettling feeling. Once she neared the cracked steps of a building, the feeling began to fade, until she was walking freely on her own, much to her surprise. She hesitated. Should she go on, into the abyss? Or go back, and attempt to find a way out of this dark world?

_'Forward. Your fear of the abyss is vanquished. Take on your destiny.'_

Lightning spun around, looking for the source of the voice. She clutched her lightning pendant, her eyes flitting along the beach. Holding her breath, she listened hard, but heard nothing but the sound of the waves and the crystals shifting underneath her boots. Slowly turning around, she headed for an alley between two temples, treading lightly so her soles didn't click against the dark marble floor. The buildings clustered together cast dark, heavy shadows over her trail as she attempted to slowly make her way towards the huge tower with the green clock rings on the top. Every now and then an ominous_ bong _sounded, shaking her bones to the core, adding another layer of uncertainty. Was someone ringing the bell, or was the huge clock on top the source?

Up ahead, an opening revealed a sort of town square, where the floor became stairs that led to the square. A sudden burst of light flashed, making Lightning flatten herself against the wall. She took a deep breath, and then edged towards the light, wincing when a bit of wall crumbled away, splintering on the cold, hard ground.

Flicking up the handle of her gunblade, she stepped out, and was astounded at what she saw: in the middle of the dark square was a sphere of rotating light, flickering and flashing. Two pieces of gravity-defying metal swirled around the sphere. The ball of light was snugly fit inside a skeleton of metal, flames dancing along. The figure was easily nine feet tall, and towered over her. Just walking towards it was like opening an oven as the heat rushed at your face. Only this heat made her skin prickle.

Lightning put her hands on her hips. She wasn't exactly afraid, but more awed. The strange structure reminded her of something she had seen on the Archylte Steppe before…

"I wonder if it works like a Cie'th Stone," she whispered, reaching her hand out to touch it.

_"KUPOOOOOO!" _

Lightning jerked her hand back, her eyes widening as a chubby white figure came hurling at her going a hundred miles an hour. It slammed into Lightning's stomach, the sheer speed of the thing sending her sailing onto her butt. The wind was knocked out of her.

"What the–" Lightning murmured, her eyebrow cocked as the white bulge shot into the air. Amidst her surroundings, Lightning's lips curved up into a small smile.

"A moogle. What is this thing doing here?"

"Kupo!" it sang, gradually hovering in front of her befuddled face.

Chubby and feather-white, the moogle was a little bit different than what Lightning had seen back on Cocoon. Two purple, bat-like wings jutted out of its back, flapping hard and fast. The moogle's hands and feet were hardly anything but stubs, with a thumb for grip. In its right hand it held a purple wand with a glossy, gold clock on the tip. A little _tick-tock, tick-tock _emitted from the tiny device. As they stared at each other, the chubby moogle spun a small pink crystal situated at the top of the clock. Like every other moogle, however, he had two squinted lines for eyes, next to a huge, pink nose that took up much of his lower face. In between two tiny little bat-ears was a crystal bobble.

However, Lightning was not to be swayed by cuteness.

Her hand shot out and before the moogle could say "kupo" she had pinched his crystal bobble between two fingers and held him closer to her face. He thrashed and wacked his clockwork wand against her wrist, but he might as well thrown a twig at her.

"What's a moogle doing here in this dark world?" she asked coldly, hoping to scare a response out of him. His squinty eyes regarded her serious blue eyes.

"Kupo…" the moogle murmured, it's soft but high-pitched voice brining back so many memories of Serah and her 10th birthday present so many years ago. The pink-haired soldier shook her head.

"Answer me and I'll let go of your crystal."

"You don't have to be so aggressive, kupo!" he squealed.

Lightning put her free hand on her hip. "That's not an answer, fatty."

Suddenly the moogle's eyes turned upside down. "Did you just call me 'fatty', kupo?"

"Indeed I did," Lightning replied, getting a kick out of the moogle's behavior. She had always marveled at the critters' personalities.

"You know there isn't a whole lot to do in Valhalla, kupo!" the moogle snapped.

_Bingo. _

"Valhalla? Is that what this place is called?" she asked, loosening her grip on his antennae.

The moogle could feel it, too. "Yes, kupo! You have arrived in Valhalla, a realm beyond time. You were sent here by the goddess, kupo!"

True to her promise, Lightning released him. The moogle grumbled and massaged his antennae, shooting her death glares. "You didn't have to grab so hard, kupo."

"Tch."

"Kupo."

"'A realm beyond time'," Lightning murmured. "What do you mean, beyond time? Are you saying time doesn't pass here, moogle?" It was only then she noticed his crystal bobble emitted small flecks of pink light. Strange.

"My name is Mog, kupo!" he announced.

"Lightni–"

"I know who you are, kupo. 'Servant of time. Daughter of chaos': Lightning Farron, the soldier who took on a world to save her sister,'" Mog rehearsed, flying around the glowing object.

"Who is the goddess? Why did she bring me here?"

"Cripper tripper fritter, kupo…" Mog said, lightly tapping his clock against his head, as if thinking deeply.

_Cripper tripper fritter? This one's a weird one, alright._

"She is Etro, the goddess of death. She resides here in Valhalla, kupo. Her shrine is in that tall temple, kupokupo!" Mog told her, pointing at the tower with his wand. "The goddess Etro wants to help you free your friends, kupo. She wants you to serve as her guardian in this land of chaos. Kupo!"

Lightning sat down on the steps. It was a lot to take in. Valhalla? Realm beyond time? Guardian? What in Pulse was going on?

"Whoever this 'Etro' is, she can save it. I'm not going to be anyone's guardian. I have to return to my friends, Mog. If she can help me with that, then great." Lightning watched the sky as dark clouds began to form. Thunder cracked far away.

"She knows that, kupo. She is going to gain your trust by helping you free your friends, then you can be her guardian until the contradiction in the timeline is mended, kupo. The paradox that brought you here has sent ripples all along the timeline. Spacetime is distorted, kupo! Someone has to fix it, but it won't be you. Your job is to travel to a special place in another dimension, find someone, and bring them back here, kupo," Mog said, his white chest sucking in a breath. "You and the other warrior will defend this realm from the evil chaos that threatens to swallow Valhalla, kupokupo."

The offer wasn't bad, considering the circumstances. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized that it would most likely be impossible to return to her world without doing the goddess' bidding. If this "Valhalla" was the goddess's world, then there was nothing to do but follow her orders, and try to get out of this mess. She hoped Serah and the others were okay. Who knew if the paradox had affected them as well?

_We had been saved by Fang and Vanille's sacrifice, but I couldn't relax just yet. And I was right. That "paradox" that took me here…would another one occur on Pulse and bring someone else to Valhalla? _

As if reading her thoughts, Mog spoke up. "The faster you get going, kupo, the faster the timeline will be fixed and you can return here to guard the goddess in her shrine. Once that is over, she will return you to Gran Pulse, kupo."

_I don't think Mog is lying…but what about the visions I saw after the paradox? What did those mean? _

"You must hurry, kupo! Every second you hesitate, the timeline draws closer to corruption, and that would be bad, kupo," Mog said, tugging on her hand towards the strange object.

"Mog, what is that?"

"It's a Etro's time gate, kupo. It can send you almost anywhere on the timeline, kupo, after you give it an artefact. Once it consumes the artifact, kupo, the gate will open and you can travel through the Historia Crux to your destination!"

"Historia Crux, huh?" Lightning muttered, glancing at the looming tower. Every now and then, floating bits of a temple would pass over their heads, pieces of temples with pillars. A strange world indeed. And Lightning didn't want to spend a second longer there.

"Alright, Mog. I'll do what Etro says and travel through the timeline, but only to save my friends. This goddess took me away from my sister. When I find this person, I'll come back and guard this goddess against whatever enemy, and then I'll go home." Lightning looked around the square. "Where do I find the artefact, Mog? What would it look like?"

"Like this, kupo!" Mog said, and handed her a chunk of crystal that emitted a strange rose petal scent. It was a pale pink, and shaped like a rose. Lightning almost thought it was Odin's crystal House, but realized that wasn't possible. She didn't have her l'Cie powers anymore. She was just a regular human now.

"Don't worry about your powers, kupo. The goddess has returned them to you, even though she is not a fal'Cie."

Lightning was shocked. It couldn't be!

She turned and flicked her wrist, trying to imagine the feel of lightning sparks snaking down her arm and shooting out of her hand. Suddenly there was a huge _CRACK! _And a thick bolt of lightning struck the ground, charring the marble and illuminating the square in white light for a millisecond.

Mog whistled – Lightning didn't know Moogles could – and said, "That was some thunder, Lightning. Do you believe me, kupo?"

"Yes. Do I have Odin as well?"

"Of course, kupo. Even if you didn't have your powers anymore, kupo, Odin would still be with you. Your bond is strong, and not likely to break over something like a loss of power, kupo," Mog explained.

Lightning was confused. That didn't make sense. Eidolons were granted to powerful l'Cie, and only l'Cie had the power to summon them into battle…perhaps the goddess's powers could grant even a human the power of l'Cie…

"This goddess…is she powerful, Mog?" Lightning asked, curious.

Mog tapped his chin thoughtfully. "In some ways, yes, kupo. She has the power to influence the decisions of others sometimes. Besides that, though, her powers are fading to the emergence of the chaos that has begun to spread across Valhalla, kupo. That's why she needs a strong guardian to defend this realm. If Valhalla falls to darkness, the entire timeline will be corrupted!" Mog explained, flying faster as he became more excited. "Enough questions, kupokupo. Are you ready to jump into the threads of time to save Valhalla? Once you have found this man, you must find an artefact in his world to unlock another time gate that will bring you back here, kupo. Then, you can defend this world until the chaos retreats, and return to your world."

Mog sure didn't have a problem talking sometimes.

Lightning held the levitating crystal artefact up to the time gate. The gate flashed brightly and the artefact dissipated, consumed by the gate. Swirls of magic caused the dust to pick up and dance around her feet.

"Are you coming with me, Mog?" Lightning shouted over the roar of the wind and fast-approaching clouds.

Mog shook his head. "No, kupokupo. I am bound here as the goddess's moogle servant, kupo. Instead, Mont Blanc will be going with you. MONTY!" Mog shouted as loud as he could, his high-pitched voice straining.

"What, kupo?" said an irritated voice behind Lightning.

Lightning turned to see another moogle, but this one was more similar to those on Cocoon. Instead of a crystal bobble like Mog's, this moogle sported a red pom-pom with a small gear fastened around it. The Monteblanc's nose was more pink than Mog's, and his head also more round. Lightning noticed that almost everything about Monteblanc was certainly less…rotund than Mog. Mont Blanc's flitting wings were black, matching his strange uniform that he wore: a black long-sleeved shirt with gold buttons that fastened tight jacket around his round body. Around his neck he wore a red scarf, pinned to his shirt with a gold brooch that was shaped like an M. His ears were also a bit longer.

Monteblanc's eyes revealed itself to be irritated. Lightning turned and began to walk towards the time gate. "Come on, fuzz ball. The faster we get this over with, the faster I can see Serah again."

Mog giggled as Mont Blanc raged. "Did she just call me _'fuzz ball'_, kupo? I would just like to say that I am one of the non-hairyest moogles in Valhalla, wench! Kupo!"

"Keep calling me wench, and I'll snap off your pom-pom. Got that? Let's go," Lightning called over her shoulder. A strange sort of exhilaration filled her body. She was almost excited to embark on this new adventure!

Still grumbling, Lightning's new companion hovered behind her. Their bodies began to glow, then pixelate as the gate shook violently and sparked. Mog covered his eyes, but still trying to wave to his moogle friend and the soldier girl.

As Lightning's feet left the ground and she rose into the air, she turned, and shouted, "Mog! What does this man look like?"

"Kupo…he is the savior of a planet, kupo. His eyes shine like the magical depths of a strange substance, his hair the golden rays of sunlight, kupo! Don't worry, Monty will help you, Lightning. Good luck!"

Lightning allowed a small smiled to form before turning to the Historia Crux gate. Maybe after all, things had changed, and she _did _have a chance of returning to her sister, to Snow, to Sazh and his boy, and to Hope.

_I didn't know why I was so willing to do the goddess's bidding...perhaps I was eagar to return to Pulse, to my friends and my sister...or maybe, I really did want to fix the timeline and help this kind goddess that had returned my l'Cie powers to me. _

A shivering warmth flooded her body, just like the Cie'th Waystones her and her five companions had used on their travels to rid the worlds of Barthandelus and Orphan. But this time, she was using the Historia Crux to fix something she might have caused. She resolved to mend the timeline part way and defend Etro in her shadowy Valhalla.

_And so I begin my life anew. _

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>Wow. I just realized how long this chapter was. Nearly 3,200 words. Not bad, kupo. Anyways, what are your thoughts? I'm sure you remember good old Mog from past FF games, along with Mont Blanc (hope that's spelled correctly).

If my cruddy description of Mont Blanc was so bad and you couldn't tell what he looked like, imagine a Type-0 moogle, and you'll get the picture, although Monty's eyes are more like this all the time: . ...haha. Monty will be the comic relief of the story, of course! Also, you will see many, many appearances of famous faces, all from different movies, anime/manga, books, and even...VOCALOIDS?

Write on,

**WriteFF13**


	4. Fighting Fate

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Once again, another chapter is out, which marks the TRUE beginning to our adventure. Cloud Strife's entrance to _Worlds Collide _is coming, and I promise you, it will be epic. Just one more chapter! Keep reading, guys! And thank you new reviewers! Make sure to drop a review, no matter how long or short, and check back for updates, kupo! Also, remember that there will be two versions of the entrance to Edge, one titled "Run" (which is the TRUE chapter that fits in the story), and one titled "White Moon Rising", also a sort of reference to _Bleach_'s volume 19: "Black Moon Rising". AND! The final theme has been decided for _Worlds Collide..._"Feral Link" from the FF13-2 OST...make sure to check it out on YouTube!

Songs: For first half in Historia Crux: "Etro's Champion" - .com/watch?v=ooxgyqC5Nmg and second half, "Paradox" – don't have a link, but it's really easy to find on .com! And remember that I have changed Light's POV WC story title to just "Worlds Collide" now, and _Worlds Collide: Birth of Darkness_ is only Cloud's POV story, although that title may change too when I begin writing it.

Write on,

**WriteFF13 **

* * *

><p><strong><span>.:Worlds Collide:.<span>**

_Chapter 4: Fighting Fate _

If Lightning thought the Cie'th Waystones were weird, then she thought this "Historia Crux" was crazy.

One second she was stepping into the flow of time from Valhalla, and the next, she was emerging into a flowing path of the threads of time as she and Mont Blanc – who was clinging to her red cape for dear life – were swept away from their starting point. When Lightning looked back though, she couldn't find a trace of their exit from Valhalla. No time gate. No Valhalla.

"Kupooo! Mog never said the Historia Crux caused major indigestion! Ohhhh..." he closed his eyes and tried to think of happier times…and not what he ate for lunch.

"Don't retch on the uniform, Mont Blanc," Lightning replied, alarmed. Who knew what and 5-pound moogle could do with a full stomach?

"Ugh...Call me Monty, kupo." Mont Blanc swallowed hard and used the warrior's cape as a rope to climb up and hang on tighter as the billowy threads of time swept them deeper into the Historia Crux.

Lightning was in awe of the Historia Crux.

It was just _incredible_! Everywhere she looked, vibrating streams of the timeline shot past her and Monty, weaving around the occasional obstacle. Along with threads of the timeline, Lightning and Monty were following a streamlined path through a tunnel of gigantic, brown gears, all randomly floating in the Historia Crux. They seemed to vibrate, each gear slowly revolving around the tunnel of the timeline. In between the gears, Lightnin could spot a flash of colors, and after floating closer, she glimpsed snatches of other times and worlds.

"Impossible!" she breathed, her spiked bangs flattening against her forward as they sailed forward. "Monty, the Historia Crux…can we travel to other _worlds _from it?"

Monty's voice came out shaky. "Y-yeah. But only certain artefacts, the ones that are hardest to find, open the Frozen Gates – gates that transport you to another world, kupo! We'll have to find a Scorched Gate in this n-new place...once we've found our m-man."

_Gates that can transport you to another world…? That means…there are more worlds than the one that we are traveling to…besides Cocoon, Gran Pulse, and Valhalla… _

"Someday, once this is all over, I want to go to another one of those worlds…"

Suddenly, Mont Blanc shrieked bloody murder and made a gurgling sound. Lightning, whose reflexes were top-notch, barely had enough time to snatch Monty by his pom pom and fling him behind her. She curled her knees up, squeezed her eyes shut, and covered her ears. Behind her, coughing heavily, the short-tempered moogle was retching, sending his breakfast soaring down the timeline, intermixed with the strands of time. His face was pale, and he shook slightly, but he was already feeling better. He paddled madly to catch up too Lightning and caught on to her cape again.

"You don't have to be so offensive, kupo. I was just dizzy!" Mont Blanc protested at the disgusted look she wore. She opened up and looked behind her, then immediately wished she hadn't.

Her head snapped forward again.

"You _idiot! _You puked in the Historia Crux!" she shrieked, disgusted. "Who knows when the next time we'll be traveling through here and collide with your vomit! Are you stupid?"

Now Monty was ticked. He swung his small moogle hands at her, and banged his pom pom against the back of her head. "What did you expect me to do, wench? Would you rather me vomit on you or the timeline? _Kupo!_"

"I'd rather have you empty your stomach on _neither_!"

"Wench.! I can't help it!"

"I swear, as soon as we get wherever we're going, I am going to give you the beating of a lifetime if you don't quit calling me that," she threatened, giving her coldest Farron glare she could muster towards a moogle.

Before he could insult her again, however, he caught sight of something ahead. "Look!" Monty pointed over her shoulder at a bright light ahead that filled the space inside the tunnel of gears. They were heading straight for it.

"Is that where Etro wants us to go to, Monty?" Lightning asked, slowing her and Monty's progression by righting herself upwards a bit. Her argument with the moogle would have to be continued later.

"Yup. Etro is making it easier for us to travel there by unraveling the hidden world from the rifts of time, kupo."

Lightning dipped down again and she and her companion shot towards the bright light, blinding them both. Lightning covered her face to shield her eyes from the intense and sudden light. She tore Monty off her back and chucked him in front of her.

"Here we go!"

"_Kupo!" _

* * *

><p>Seconds later, the dizzying feeling in her stomach subsided and Lightning regained her senses as they soared through nothingness, heading towards a huge mirror…no, not a mirror…a lens into another world! The world behind the mirror was moving, blazing with color and life…and also breathing chaos. A curl of the blackness reached out towards her, beckoning until she jerked her hand back and tried to soar faster to the mirror. Was this…an alternate reality? Was this where the other chosen warrior resided?<p>

"Monty…" Lightning said softly. The moogle turned, still slightly green.

"What, kupo? Oh…"

"What is this blackness coming from that world? I mean, that is the world we're traveling to, right?" Lightning asked, careful to avoid the nothingness. A few seconds more and they would crash right into the image in front of them.

"It's 'chaos', kupo! It is birthed when the timelines are distorted and evil is afoot, kupo! _Man, I feel like crap…_That image up ahead is the world we're going to, kupo. What did you think it was?" the irritated moogle snapped.

"Do I need to leave you behind?"

"Ha! Ya couldn't survive without me, kupo!"

"Oh, I would disagree on that, moogle. Now come on, it's time to jump through. I'm guessing it's not solid, right?" Lightning asked, eyeing the seemingly solid image playing the present scene of events.

"Of course it's not solid! But before you–"

"Jump!"

Lightning zoomed towards the new world that lay before her, wondering what she would be greeted with when they arrived. Looking back, she became panicked when she spotted tendrils of the chaos spiraling after her, gathering into a large cloud that would soon engulf them if they didn't reach the parallel universe in time. If it meant changing she and her sister's fate, Lightning would do anything. She had done it before and defied the gods; she would gladly do it again.

"Now!"

_Yes, there is no Fate for us _

_Only those who are swallowed by _

_Ignorance and fear and miss a step _

_Fall into the rapid river called Fate.* _

* * *

><p><strong>2<strong>**nd**** AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I decided to create an "intro" chapter to the two versions of the next chapter, which will finally be *spoiler alert* when Lightning enters Edge and meets Cloud, but in two different ways. The only reason I'm doing this is because I think they're both really good ideas, but I can only use one, or I would basically have to create an entirely separate _Worlds Collide _story.

*This verse was taken from Tite Kubo's _Bleach _Vol. 6. I did not write it, and all credit goes to the author who creates truly beautiful verses. You may see more of his verses quoted throughout this fanfic.

Next chapter should be out sometime soon, give me about two and a half weeks. I'm quite busy right now, but I'm trying to get things done.

-**WriteFF13**


	5. White Moon Rising Part 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** The chapter you've all been waiting for! Read on to learn about our two heroes' first meeting. Follow and give a review if you liked the story…constructional criticism is welcome, but no flaming, please.

**Update 8/18/2012: **I've finally edited and revised this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it. I pondered over the original Part 1, and ultimately decided it was poorly-written, so here's the new one! Sorry for any confusions, and if you liked the original chapter better than this one...you're out of luck, unfortunately.

**Songs: **"The Gapra Whitewood" (_FF13 OST) _then "Ezio's Family-Rainymood" (AS:II OST) towards the end.

Write on,

**WriteFF13**

* * *

><p><strong>.:WORLDS COLLIDE:. <strong>

_Chapter 5 – White Moon Rising Part 1 (Revised)_

As soon as Lightning leaped through the gate, a wave of energy shoved her forward into the new world in which she was to retrieve the other chosen guardian of Valhalla. It carried her through a mist of flashing colors and images; too hazy to make anything out.

Moments later, everything went black, and Lightning felt herself melt in warmth as she floated through a sea of nothingness. It was a strange feeling to be floating in nothing at all, and terrifying.

In the darkness of the sea, Lightning's eyes slowly opened, her pupils glowed slightly. She waved a hand in front of her face and was able to make out the vague shape of it. She then noticed when she moved, bubbles exploded in a whirl and twined upwards, also glowing a strange light blue color.

To test if she was underwater, she opened her mouth and immediately regretted it. A rush of thick liquid rushed into her mouth, making her cough and sputter it back out. Was it chaos? Had she and Monty not made it in time?

_Monty… _

Lightning wondered where the moogle could be. He was about to say something before she rushed through the portal, but she had ignored him…damnit! Was he trying to warn her about this?

Her heartbeat quickened, and Lightning realized that she needed air, and fast. Pointing her body in the general direction of _up_, she kicked hard and used her arms to slice her way through the thickness of the black water. Each stroke weighed down her limbs, slowing down her progress to almost nothing. Fighting against an unknown enemy, she felt the familiar warmth of magic pump through her veins, swirling around her body and granting her extraordinary strength.

In seconds, she was racing for the surface, where a dim light was shining through. She burst through, rocketing upwards. The black liquid dripped off as she was suspended in mid air. The magic faded, and she fell downwards as gravity took hold of her once again, towards the liquid she had just exited. Instead, the surface was sparkling, blue water, dabbled with bits of flower petals floating on the surface and clinging to her clothes.

She fell back in the water with a large splash that sloshed water out of the pond and onto a boarded floor. Lightning emerged, gasping for breath and letting her heart resume its normal pace; she didn't know how long she had been underwater, but somehow her lungs had allowed her to stay under much longer than she knew she was normally capable of. As she treaded water, she was able to finally look at what she had sprung out and into.

Bordering the pond of crystal-clear water were splintered boards of wood that covered the floor in a grid of a petal-strewn maze. There were blocks of pillars spilling into the pond and stretching across the building to the other side. Upon looking upwards, Lightning noticed the large hole that had been knocked in on the roof; the planks of wood that had fallen were hidden in a small patch of yellow and white lilies to the left of her. Lining the walls were stained glass windows that casted a colorful array of purple, yellow, blue, and greens on the water.

_A church… _

She swept her soaked hair out of her face and hauled herself out of the water, lying on her back as she gazed through the hole in the roof at the sky. Storm clouds were moving in, blocking any sunlight that would have proved useful for drying her clothes.

Lightning's chest heaved up and down in rhythm with the small waves that lightly splashed against the wooded floor due to the hard wind.

The heavy force that clouded the bottom of the pond…what was it? It couldn't be chaos…the darkness was too heavy to be a solid form of chaos…she had even needed magic to propel herself to the surface. When she awoke, she didn't remember seeing the bright sheen of the time gate, so where was it? As Lightning understood it, to time travel you needed a gate, or so Mog had explained…

_Monty!_

Lightning slowly sat up, cradling her aching head, and glanced through her fingers around the church. A breeze from outside caught the door of the church open and it banged against the wall after swinging aside…

No moogle was to be found.

_We were separated when we went through the gate…damnit! That's what Monty was going to tell me, and I rushed ahead to avoid the chaos. I've got to find him. _

Thunder cracked in the distance as she knelt beside the pond to wash her face with the cool water, washing any last remnants of blackness off. A quick blast of an aerial spell and her uniform and hair were completely dry. Lightning knew there was no time to lose, but she needed a second and sat facing the pond with her arms resting on her knees and staring straight ahead.

Everything came to her then. She realized in an instant what she had just done.

_What if I die here? If I fail my task and die here…what would Serah do? _

In the back of her mind, Lightning could _feel _Serah's thoughts and emotions, for just a brief second. She was looking through the eyes of her younger sister, still on Gran Pulse with her former companions, feeling her skin tighten around a familiar knife, a knife that had been given to her for her twenty-first birthday. And there were tears.

Lightning's chest tightened.

Through the thin fabric of her sister's leggings, Lightning experienced the thud of striking hard land as Serah fell to her knees, sobbing over her sister's knife.

_Don't cry, Serah…I'm here. _

The soldier shook slightly, but not from the cold. It pained her to have to do this, to have separated from her sister once again, but this time, she vowed that Serah would be safe.

_Don't waste your tears on me, Serah…I'm doing this for you. So don't worry…I'll be back… _

_I promise._

An engine roared outside.

.:_END OF PART 1:._

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>As you read above in the first **AN**, I have finally revised this chapter. I hope you took my suggestion and listen to the songs while you read…when I listen to any type of video game music when I write, I often tend to write better.

SO! Let me know what you thought of this version! I may add a few things here and there, mostly grammar stuff…

-**WriteFF13**


	6. White Moon Rising Part 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **The second part of White Moon Rising. Hope you enjoyed! Also, I am working with another author for a collaboration on a _Worlds Collide _mini-series/bonus storywith **Devil Hunter Kira F Sparda**. It will be a crossover between FFVII, FFXIII, Devil May Cry, and Bayonetta. I am the original _Worlds Collide _author, so I'll be helping him out by being the Beta and co-author. Check it out when it's published!

**Song: **"Full of Surprises" from the Tomb Raider: Underworld OST. Or you could listen to a rainymood song...just a thought.

-**WriteFF13**

* * *

><p><strong>.:WORLDS COLLIDE:. <strong>

_Chapter 6 – White Moon Rising Part 2 _

Lightning's eyes snapped open and she rose to her knees; steadied a hand against the cool floorboards of the church. Only minutes ago she had arrived in this new world to find herself in a sea of darkness and doubt. She had asked herself:

_Can I fight on? _

_ Is it worth it? _

_ I don't know. _

And then she thought of her sister, Serah, who was waiting for her back on Pulse until her return. If it was possible, Lightning would have demanded to go back to her but her duty was to guard an unknown realm, and if that meant stabilizing Serah's future...even if that future didn't include Lightning in it...she would do it anyway.

Her thoughts were cut short when the sound of a deep, rumbling engine pierced through the thunder cracks outside; it was heading straight for the church. Lightning didn't know what it was, or who it was, but she wasn't about to let whoever find her there. The door to the church was open just a bit and allowed her to peer outside and catch sight of a black machine racing along a road leading to the ruined church.

Tired as she was, the trained soldier was able to stand and take cover behind a broken pillar to the right of the church doors. Enough of the white column was left to take cover behind and peek around the edge through the debris. Through the gentle pitter-patter of the raindrops in the pond, Lightning could hear the engine stop outside and die down.

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as she listened.

Something clicked, then a set of footsteps began to walk through the mud towards the church; Lightning could hear the mud sloshing under the approaching feet. Before the unknown person could enter, Lightning had already removed her gunblade from its case and had her finger on the trigger. She wasn't going to shoot on sight, but if whatever it was presented a threat; she wouldn't hesitate to take it out.

Lightning held her breath as she heard the distinct sound of boots scraping on cement – scraping the mud off, no doubt – and quietly creaked the doors open. Lightning rested the back of her gunblade against her shoulder, ready to dive out and open fire. It was only a matter of time after the unseen intruder found the puddle of water her wet clothes had left after swimming through the dark waters.

A sharp intake of breath – then quickened footsteps as he or she walked over to the water that had sloshed out of the pond. Lightning stood slowly, careful to not let her boots slip on the worn floor. She held her breath and peered around the corner, only allowing the pink spikes of her hair and one bright blue orb to be seen.

Her eyes widened; it was a man dressed in all black with leather straps hanging on his back, spiky blonde hair – not unlike her own – and a huge, sword that spanned at _least s_ix feet, if not more. The man's clothes were unfamiliar to Lightning, who was used to the bright colors of Cocoon's people. This man wore black gloves and pants, a thick shoulder pauldron, and a sleeve over his left arm. He was kneeling over the water puddle left my Lightning.

_He must live around here...I can't shoot; I don't even know him. I'll let him leave... _

Before that could happen, however, a loud rumble echoed around the church, shaking the roof and causing unstable tiles to fall in and break upon impact on the floor. Lightning was forced to her knees and tried to dodge the tiles, but one clipped the inside of her elbow and she let a small hiss escape her lips. Her own black sleeve she wore split open; a drop of blood squeezed out. Even amidst the clamor, the blonde intruder spun around and spotted her, immediately hefting his oversized sword at her.

His attack was cut short when a familiar dark tendril curled out of the pond, followed by a creeping wave that appeared just behind the man's feet. It approached him, swaying back and forth as the water in the pond became a deep black. The chaos suddenly shot forward towards the man.

_"Watch out!" _Lightning shouted, flinging herself out from behind the pillar and throwing a ball of light towards the chaos.

When it hit the substance, the dark matter hissed and only caused more chaos to pour out of the pond, wrapping the man in its dark hold. Lightning was about to blast a wave of magic when the chaos suddenly released the man when the latter sliced an opening and swirled cautiously around him, as if wary of his next move.

Lightning didn't understand; physical attacks didn't work on the chaos, so how was he able to break free?

Lightning ran to his side and conjured a purple shield in front of them; the shield wouldn't last long, but it would distract the chaos nonetheless.

"Get away from the water," Lightning shouted, and backtracked towards the door, watching for any sign of the shield giving way.

Instead of following her orders, the man swung his sword at her now, refusing to move. His movements were stout and strong; Lightning could tell from his form that he was some kind of trained personnel himself. She whipped her own weapon into its bladed form, but she refused to fight.

"You want to die? Stay here then, but I'm leaving," Lightning snapped, and sprinted for the door.

She shook her head when she heard his own footsteps following her. Once they were outside, she lowered her blade and finally got a good look at this stranger.

His eyes were a bright blue with green tinged around the pupils...on closer inspection she realized they were almost glowing. His blond hair was spiked and a wolf earring adorned his left ear, a similar symbol was on his shoulder pauldron. His eyes held a guarded look and she noticed he was still clutching his sword tightly.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm not your enemy, if that's what you're wondering."

This strange man must have sensed she was telling the truth, because he became noticeably relieved and lowered his weapon.

Lightning offered her hand. "My name's Lightning. Lightning Farron. And yours?"

The man grasped her hand firmly and was surprised to find "Lightning" had a firm grip. But her eyes had glazed over as soon as their hands touched, even as he began to talk.

And then it hit her.

"_His eyes shine like the magical depths of a strange substance, his hair the golden rays of sunlight..."_

Her eyes cleared as she gazed into the man's bright-colored orbs.

"The name's–"

"I know who you are," Lightning interrupted.

He released her hand, confused.

_"Cloud Strife."_

* * *

><p>The stranger – Cloud – took a step back, staring at her suspiciously. Lightning didn't blame him for thinking of her as the enemy. Why had she done that?<p>

"It's a long story," Lightning said.

Cloud Strife nodded. "Come with me."

He walked towards the vehicle that she had heard and immediately, panels on the machine's sides opened up, revealing at least five slots. Lightning watched in interest as he slid his large sword into the slot on the furthest side away from the inside. She was surprised to see that he carried more than one sword.

While this was happening Lightning had quietly healed herself, but didn't waste energy stitching the threads of her sleeve back together, hoping Cloud hadn't noticed.

"I don't know who you are or why you're here, but I'm going to take you home," he said, swinging a leg over the seat of the vehicle; was it a motorcycle?

Lightning crossed her arms, not comfortable with taking orders.

"And where is 'home'?"

"Some place safe."

The pink-haired woman looked over her shoulder at the growing mass of chaos that threatened to converge on them. The chaos had spilled out of the pond now and was quickly covering every inch of ground it could, twisting up pillars and church benches and pouring out of the ceiling.

Lightning turned back to "Cloud". "You don't know what that darkness is, do you?" she asked.

Cloud looked back. "No, I don't. But it shouldn't be there in the first place."

"Hold on," Lightning said, and jogged back to the steps of the church.

She had never tried concentrating her magic into producing a new elemental magic, but she would have to try, or this world was already doomed. If she combined all elemental magics and fused them together, could it produce a magic that could combat the darkness of the chaos?

She didn't know.

The chaos was slowly creeping out of the church, but before it could reach Lightning, she traced her fingers along the door, drawing an invisible pattern on the splintered wood mechanically, as if someone else was controlling her movements. Immediately, the places that she touched lighted and spread in a web-like pattern, extending past her reach and quickly stretching over the front of the building and meeting the chaos head-on. Cloud watched with interest and surprise when the woman's strange magic drove the chaos back; the bright curls of her magic raced across the church and whenever it touched the dark substance, the chaos would emit a strange hissing noise.

Cloud looked back at Lightning, wondering just who this stranger was.

Lightning looked down at her gloved hands, wondering how she had come up with that idea in the first place. Was it Etro guiding her?

"Who exactly are you?" Cloud asked again.

Lightning sighed, wondering where she should start.

"I'm not from here."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know what this planet is called, but I wasn't born here. I came from another world," Lightning answered bluntly.

Cloud didn't seem surprised at all. He merely nodded.

"I figured as much when I saw you. We need to get away from here first. I can get you a place to stay if you need," Cloud offered.

"You're going to trust a stranger, just like that?"

Cloud looked away. "There's something...I don't know how to explain it, but I feel like I know you already," he admitted. "You don't seem dangerous."

_I may be the most dangerous person alive right now, involving you like this._

"I understand."

Lightning hesitantly swung a leg over the motorcycle's seat. She knew this man somehow, but all of her past training told her to stop and think and learn a bit more about him.

_It is Etro's will that I bring this man back to Valhalla. I have to trust. _

Cloud revved the engine and stuffed a cell phone in his pocket. When he looked over his shoulder at Lightning, he was wearing sunglasses; dark shades protected his eyes from mud and rocks.

"We'll talk later. Tifa would have a fit if she knew I left you here."

"Right."

_I'm one step closer to seeing you again, Serah. Wish me luck._

* * *

><p>The ride with Cloud was a strange one.<p>

His motorcycle was flying, easily breaking any speeds that Snow's Eidolon could push. The land around them was charred and brown, as if it was dead and hadn't yet recovered from some kind of disease or tragedy. The church had been surrounded by ruins and damaged buildings, a beacon of life in the middle of a pit of sorrow.

Cloud steered the vehicle with incredible expertise, curling the motorcycle around impossible corners and still keeping the speed at a breakneck pace. Only minutes had passed and Lightning had witnessed a ruined city, a canyon, and now a barren desert.

Within just miles ahead Lightning spotted a town. As they neared it Lightning was surprised at how..._used _it looked. Cocoon's cities were always clean and beautiful, shining with holograms and technology. Even compared to Pulse's ruins, this town had a strange, foreign look to it.

They entered into the town, and Cloud finally slowed down and rolled around back alleys and streets with ease. Lightning noticed that at first glance civilians waved to Cloud eagerly and gave him warm smiles, but when they spotted his companion their smiles faded and hands dropped to their sides.

_They're not used to strangers...I don't blame them. _

They passed a town square where the town seemed to come to life; people crowded the streets, chatting and playing with children in the remnants of the rain.

Cloud rolled the motorcycle to a stop in a large alley next to the entrance to a building. Wooden barrels were tucked in a corner and a boy with brown hair was rolling a barrel to join the stacks. A younger girl in a light green dress was giving orders in a bossy tone.

At the sound of the motorcycle's engine, both kids' heads snapped up and smiles lit up on their faces as they raced over to Cloud, who dismounted and went to meet them. Lightning smiled and wondered if they were his kids.

Cloud nodded for Lightning to join them.

The boy stared at her with guarded eyes, as if he was unsure of her. The girl, however, ran up and waved her hand.

"Hi! I'm Marlene!" the girl announced. She waited for the boy to speak up, and then whirled around with her hands on her hips. "_Denzel!" _

The boy – Denzel – nodded and muttered a quick "Hello".

Cloud stood. "This is Lightning. We'll talk later, alright?"

Cloud opened the door to the building and walked inside, followed by Lightning who caught a glimpse of a sign hanging over the entrance:

**WELCOME TO 7****th**** HEAVEN! **

As soon as they walked inside a kind voice greeted them from across the room. Lightning lifted her head to find a woman with dark hair in black leather at a counter. She didn't look over.

"Tifa."

"Hmm?" the woman turned around and her eyebrows arched up in surprise at Lightning's unexpected presence. She dried her hands off on a cloth and strode over to them. "Who is this?"

Lightning stepped forward to introduce herself and offered a hand.

"Lightning Farron."

Tifa grasped her hand firmly, a warm smile donning her face. "Tifa Lockhart. Pleased to meet you, Lightning."

"Same."

"Well, would you two like something to drink or eat?" Tifa asked moving into the kitchen and opening up pantry doors. "Cloud, I know what you want...Lightning, we have water, juice, wine...?"

"Water would be fine, thanks."

"Thanks, Tifa," Cloud said and sat down at the bar counter – the soldier could tell this was some kind of store or restaurant. Lightning took the seat next to him, taking a glass of ice-cold water from Tifa with pleasure. She drank it down easily.

Cloud had a small glass of wine. "So. What's your story?"

Tifa listened with interest.

"Another new one, huh?" she asked, leaning her elbows on the countertop.

"I found her in Aerith's church...I was checking on the water level of the pond, and this strange darkness poured out..." he explained. "I didn't see it, but Lightning jumped out and drove it back."

"The Stigma again?" Tifa breathed.

"The Chaos," Lightning put in.

"Chaos?"

"This might take awhile to explain..."

Tifa and Cloud glanced at each other.

"We've got time."

Lightning let an uneasy laugh escape her lips.

"No, that's the last thing we have plenty of."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>I'm hoping this chapter was a bit better than the previous version. It was hard to pick between this chapter and the "Chapter 6 2.0 – Run" version I wanted to publish. Of course, the other version will be uploaded as a bonus, but the storyline doesn't follow that intro. I hope you enjoyed, and please tell me what you think!

I don't know when chapter 7 will be updated, but remember to read the revised chapter 5 if you already haven't!

-**WriteFF13**


	7. A Tale Or Two

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Please do enjoy and review; tell me what you think! I had a lot of difficulty writing this chapter to be honest; it was hard to decide whether I should retell the events of _Final Fantasy XIII_, but eventually chose not to. I'm hoping most readers have played FFXIII anyways.

I'm also the co-author and Beta of **Devil Hunter Kira F Sparda**'s WC "spin-off", _The Chaos Between Light and Darkness_, which is a quad crossover of FFXIII, FFVII, DMC, and Bayonetta. Check it out if you haven't already!

**Song: **"Vanille's Theme" (FF13 OST) or "Missing Link" (FF13-2 OST)

Write on,

**WriteFF13**

* * *

><p><strong>.:WORLDS COLLIDE:. <strong>

_Chapter 7 – A Tale Or Two_

"Where should I start?" Lightning mused, drumming her fingers on the scratched wooden table inside of 7th Heaven.

"Stories have a beginning and end, right?" Tifa said. "Start at the beginning and go from there. If what you and Cloud say is true, then you have a lot of explaining to do."

"Right."

She took a deep breath...

And told them everything.

Her entire history up until that point was told in just under an hour; the death of her parents, her entry into the Guardian Corps at the young age of nineteen, the Purge and the race to rescue her sister, and her journey to defy her Focus and defeat Orphan. The drizzly rain outside had ceased and the sun broke through, casting much needed light on the dark streets of Edge and drying up the rain puddles that dotted the back alley behind 7th Heaven. Lightning had just finished explaining the different ranks of the Guardian Corps when Denzel and Marlene – the two children Lightning had met earlier – entered with soaking clothes.

Tifa gave them a stern talking-to but allowed them to listen to Lightning's story; Marlene dragged up a chair and sat right next to Lightning, but Denzel stood by Cloud's side, listening quietly. The pink-haired woman noticed, of course; but she couldn't exactly demand why he was staring at her.

Marlene interrupted at several intervals, in awe of her story and where she had come from. She asked the most random questions, as far as if she had ever had a boyfriend or beaten up one of her sisters' boyfriends.

"So, Lightning...have _you _ever had a boyfriend?" she chirped.

Lightning's eye twitched.

"No."

"Are you _sure?_"

Amidst her giggling, Tifa lightly wacked Marlene's shoulder and scolded her. "You don't ask personal questions like that, Marlene!"

"Grow up, Marlene," Denzel said.

The girl turned on him, placing her hands on her hips and sticking her finger in Denzel's face. "Who asked you, Denzel?! You're not even talking!"

"At least I'm not being annoying," he retorted.

Tifa laughed and pried the two kids away from each other; Marlene was swinging her fists and Denzel stuck his tongue out in return. Lightning couldn't help but smile; this was the first time she had been able to relax since...well, since before everything. Tifa gripped the kids by their collars and hauled them to the stairs at the back of the bar, shooting an apologetic smile at Lightning.

"They're lively, aren't they?" Lightning remarked.

Cloud drummed his fingers on the tabletop and stared at the wood as if seeing something extraordinary. "Yeah."

"Denzel and Marlene, right?"

"Mm."

_Gee, I can barely get I sentence in. _

"Are they yours?" she asked.

That elicited a response from the mute ex-soldier, whose fingers froze mid-drum. He looked across the table at the pink-haired stranger and shook his head. "No...it's kind of complicated."

"Shoot."

Cloud cocked an eyebrow. "Well, Marlene's the daughter of one our friends...Barret Wallace. He works non-stop and travels a lot, so Tifa and I look after her here. And Denzel is a kid I found at the church you appeared at. His parents died a few years ago."

She waved her hand. "That's not so complicated," she said in response.

"That's only the half of it," he finished, but Tifa appeared again.

"Sorry about that, Lightning. They're not usually rowdy, but when they are, there's no stopping their arguing."

"I understand. Now where was I?"

Surprisingly, Cloud answered. "Something about a 'Purge' and the military...PSICOM?"

Lightning sighed. This was something she didn't exactly view as happy memories, but an event that was important nonetheless. After all, it's what started the war against the fal'Cie in the first place.

"...The Pulse fal'Cie I explained earlier are forbidden on Cocoon as part of the government's law. There was an old Pulse Vestige in my hometown – Bodhum – but no one knew that it was active. My sister, Serah, is a bit of a history fanatic; she decided to explore the Vestige and was taken hostage by the fal'Cie inside," Lightning explained.

"She's not...?" Tifa said tentatively.

"No, of course not. She was branded a Pulse l'Cie by that fal'Cie, Anima. That's when the government created the Purge...an execution masquerading as exile. My entire hometown was forced to transport to Gran Pulse...or so we thought. Instead, they planned on killing us off in the Hanging Edge, an old air craft base suspended over a popular vacation spot.

"They immediately took the Vestige away and moved it to the Hanging Edge, but Serah was still inside of it. That's when I quit my job."

"What rank were you in the military?" Cloud asked, curious.

"I was about to be promoted to the rank of an officer before the Purge," she replied. The memory was painful.

All those hard years of work and her intense training were thrown away because of one stupid government decision. She wondered where she'd be if the Purge hadn't been enacted. Lieutenant Amodar's dream was for her to eventually take over his position and lead her own troops into battle...a dream that was shattered as soon as Serah Farron stepped foot into the Pulse Vestige.

_"You see that gunblade of hers? That's the Blazefire Saber, a weapon we only give to the best soldiers in the GC. She's gonna surpass me someday, I know it." _

"I'm sorry," Tifa offered.

"It's fine. There's nothing I can do about it now."

"You know, Cloud used to be a soldier, too," Tifa said, glancing at the said ex-soldier.

"Now's not really the time, Tifa..." Cloud said, a warning undertone lining his words.

Lightning sensed the tension level rise in the air, and immediately dropped the subject.

Tifa sighed. "Go on."

"This will take awhile."

Lightning summarized her journey with Snow, Hope, Fang, Vanille, and Sazh in as little sentences as possible, trying to leave the minute details out. As she talked, she realized that their battle against the fal'Cie had taken more than a month, a figure that hadn't occurred to the party on Cocoon _or _Pulse. It was somewhat difficult to talk about Fang and Vanille's sacrifice; it impacted not only her, but Cloud, Tifa, and everyone in their world. Their sacrifice literally altered the universe's timeline forever.

Lightning was surprised to hear that Tifa recognized the name "Etro", the Goddess.

Tifa turned to Cloud for assistance. "Don't you remember, Cloud? That old woman that used to live in Niblheim...she scared all the kids with her creepy fortune-telling about a goddess."

"Yeah, I think I–"

Suddenly the front door of the bar burst open with a blast of warm, humid air. Footsteps crashed down the stairs behind the three adults and a large figure stood in the doorway.

Marlene raced past Tifa, Cloud, and Lightning and threw herself at the man in the doorway, who was waving a strange, mechanical arm at the three at the table. He wore a white vest with fish netting across the chest. His feet donned thick, brown military boots.

"What up, Spiky?"

* * *

><p>"Barrett!" Tifa exclaimed. "What a nice surprise!"<p>

The so-called "Barrett" stepped inside and shut the door behind him, shaking water off of his head.

Lightning figured the man must be the friend Cloud had talked about earlier – Marlene's father. The difference between Marlene's small figure and Barrett's huge size was almost comical.

"Don't worry 'bout it, Tifa. I got a bite to eat on my way here. Heya, Cloud, Denzel–" he stopped midsentence, his eyes landing on Lightning.

Almost immediately he straightened and let go of Marlene's hand, cautiously nudging her behind him. "Who's this?"

Tifa rolled her eyes. "She's a friend, and you just missed her story."

Lightning stood and offered a firm hand to Barrett, easily meeting his cautious gaze unflinchingly. "Lightning Farron, pleased to meet you."

Tifa's words were enough to allow him to relax. "Barrett Wallace...I'm Marlene's father," he replied, heartily shaking her hand.

"So I heard."

Tifa clapped her hands and moved into the kitchen area, opening cabinets and drawers and fishing out kitchen utensils, pans, pots, and food for the meal. Without turning around she asked, "Alright...now that we've got a house full of hungry people, what would we all like to eat?"

Marlene was pushing her father into a chair and answered, "Ask Lightning! She's the guest!"

Lightning's eyes shot up in surprise. Who knew what type of food they ate here in this strange place? Surely it must be different than the bland yet satisfactory food of Cocoon, created and prepared by the fal'Cie?

"Well?"

"Whatever you guys like. I don't think the food from my world is eaten here, if you know what I mean."

"Eh?" Barrett grunted. "What do ya mean, 'my world'? The only world _is_ thisworld."

"I'll fill you in later, Barrett. She was about to finish up telling us her tale, but I think some rest would be best for her. Would you like to stay here, Lightning?" Tifa offered. "Barrett, how about you?"

"If ya got room, then I'll stay."

"Of course. We always do," Tifa laughed. "Lightning, I know it's not much, but the couch in the front of the bar is the only place left."

"That's great, thank you," Lightning replied. Any sort of bed at this point was lovely. She could feel her energy slowly draining after the short battle at the church. Her story was only half-way done, but she knew she needed to rest for tomorrow.

"She can take my room. I don't mind," Cloud said quietly, and everyone in the room turned towards him.

Tifa almost dropped the spatula she was holding. She eyed Cloud from across the room, who met her gaze squarely. "Are you...sure, Cloud?"

Cloud crossed his arms. "Barrett and Lightning are both guests. It's only fair they have something nice to sleep on."

Cloud glanced at Lightning; she nodded her thanks, and that was enough for both of them. The latter was slightly uncomfortable with the situation, but was something she could deal with.

Tifa blinked, but shrugged her shoulders and went back to work. "Well alright then. I guess that's settled."

Marlene hopped off of her wooden chair and went to help with dinner and Denzel flitted back and forth.

* * *

><p><strong>["Rain On Ruins"–<em>Tomb Raider: Underworld <em>Deluxe Edition Original Soundtrack]**

"So, Cloud, I got some news for ya," Barrett started. "I don't know if ya heard, but some recent reports have been gettin' out about some kind of weird stuff going on around the church. People are afraid to go near it...apparently the Stigma's stickin' around, and folks are still headin' to the church."

"...What?" Cloud said.

Lightning knew exactly what Barrett was talking about. The chaos – the strange substance – must be slowly breaking through the barrier she put up. And if people were going near it, the chaos could potentially suck them in. What was alarming was the fact that the amount of chaos stored at the bottom of the pond had grown, especially around the time gate. If she ever needed to use that gate again, she'd have to blind the whole world with light in order to combat the darkness.

"They said a couple of people tried to get in to get rid of the Stigma, and they got into a mess and nearly got themselves killed instead. That damn Rufus has got his guys over there now, but they can't do anything; you know he'll be callin' you up within the next couple of days. You heard anything about it?"

"Uh, yeah, I have..."

"I'm not sayin' you should go down there now, but ya might as well check it out before Rufus calls ya."

Lightning mentally sighed as Tifa carried the food to the table. The last thing she needed was a fight with chaos, a battle that would most likely go in the enemy's favor, whoever they may be.

_Damnit._

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>I hope that can satisfy you guys for awhile...I've dropped numerous hints about where the story is going, so if you catch them, review and tell me! It'll be interesting to see who will notice. As always, thanks for reading, an I'll be back with chapter 8 as soon as I can! It will be a short chapter, but hopefully sweet.

Any guesses as to where the heck Monty went to?

-**WriteFF13**


	8. Turkish Delight

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Chapter 8 of _Worlds Collide! _We're finally getting into the meat of the story. Now sit back and grab some popcorn...chaosis about to ensue (no pun intended). Sorry it took so long to update as usual, but I've started my _A Storm Gathers _fic, which is a rendition of _Lightning Returns: FINAL FANTASY XIII_!

I dropped an easter egg for the FFXIII fans out there regarding a certain song from the first FFXIII game...does not include the BGMs! Let me know if you find it, quote it in a review, and I'll respond via PM or A/N next chap!

BGMs are going to appear more regularly throughout the story, though they won't be distractions! They are simply recommendations for background music you can listen to get a feeling for the mood!

I edited this a little late at night, so I hope I caught everything but I'll be doing another once-over tomorrow, so no worries!

Want to knowthe theme song for _Worlds Collide_? Keep reading to find out!

Write on,

**WriteFF13**

* * *

><p><strong>.:WORLDS COLLIDE:.<strong>

_Chapter 8 – Turkish Delight _

**["In A Dream/I'm Not There" – Julsy, ]**

The dinner that Tifa had prepared surpassed anything Lightning had previously eaten on Cocoon; even Lebreau's homemade meals prepared fresh every day at the bar on Bodhum paled in comparison. The food – something called "lasagna" – was simply beyond anything Cocoon's fal'Cie could ever have dreamt to create.

"So, how was it? Different from the food you're used to?" Tifa asked in between trying to settle Marlene and Denzel down who were still bickering.

"It was…really good," Lightning said, only fully realizing she had been rather stuffing her face with a piece of spongy bread. Flushed with embarrassment she lowered the bread and proceeded to sip her ice-cold water.

"Well, I'm glad. If I had known we were going to have guests, I would have prepared something a little more extravagant, but I hope you enjoyed it anyways. Are you sure you're okay in Cloud's room?" she asked, wiping down the table with a wet rag as dishes were hauled away by Denzel and Marlene.

"It's no worry. I'll be fine, really."

Barrett pushed away from the table and sat up slowly, rubbing his stomach. "Thanks, Tiff. Your dinner's always good after a day on the road," he said, lumbering towards the couch. He fell onto it and Marlene raced over to him to begin telling him all about schools, friends, and the bar.

Tifa watched them, smiled and turned back to Lightning. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable? Cloud, can you show her around a bit?" she asked, balancing an empty glass of water, a dirty plate, and three forks in one hand. "_The kids can help me with the dishes." _

Marlene tossed an irritated look over her shoulder at Tifa but slid off the couch anyways, trotting over to start running the sink water. That left Cloud and Lightning.

She could have stuffed her face another hour or so, but the last thing she needed was to be embarrassed in front of her new hosts. Who knew? In time, they might be her newest companions on the battlefield, just like Snow, Hope, Sazh, Vanille, and Fang so long ago…

But this was an entirely new battle. This battle stretched across time and space itself. The outcome would affect _everyone. _

Lightning crossed her arms. Cloud scratched the back of his head.

There was no sound except the quiet clinking of wine glasses and the occasional yelp from Marlene when Denzel whacked her with a spatula, shortly followed by a stern warning from Tifa.

It was enough.

Cloud stood suddenly, heading towards the back of the bar, where a staircase led to the second floor of 7th Heaven.

"Come on, I'll show you around," he said quietly. Lightning followed him up the staircase.

* * *

><p><strong>["Serah's Ballad" FM theme by sahmusic: watch?v=Txv1JPQrm1s] <strong>

The noise of the bar faded as Lightning emerged into a hallway with four doors lining the hallway of faded wallpaper and wood paneling. The staircase had its own nook in the hallway; two doors on the left of the stairs and a door at either end. A quick glanced through the open doors of the first room was evidence enough that they were Marlene and Denzel's bedrooms.

Cloud was waiting for her at the end of the hallway. He pushed the white door open and stepped inside, giving her room to enter. Her boots clicked quietly on the grey-brown wood.

"This is our office..."

Inside the interior was quite the rough for wear. It was evident that the room served as an office with bookshelves and a central desk lining the walls of the room. The desk's face was littered with stacks of printed papers and scrawled notes, dotted with manila yellow envelopes, individual staples, and paperclips buried underneath. Various papers were marked with equations, but several tiny drawings stuffed into the corners of documents featured bright, yellow birds – not dissimilar to chocobos – made Lightning chuckle.

There was a picture frame of Cloud, Tifa, Denzel, Marlene, and a number of other people she didn't recognize standing in front of 7th Heaven. Lightning picked it up and examined it.

The kids were huddled around Tifa and Cloud, smiles plastered on their faces. Even Cloud had slight smile. A young woman kneeled in front of the camera was waving her hand; in the background was some sort of man in a red cape, a rough-looking blonde man, and Barrett. She wondered if she'd ever meet them.

"Who are these people?" she asked, pointing to the girl in the headband and mysteriously cloaked figure.

Cloud, from his position at the doorway responded, "They're our friends. There was a recent battle...they helped us."

Her spikes hid her face from him.

"What kind of battle?" she asked nonchalantly.

If she was going to be spending time in Cloud's world, she needed to know about his past, whether good or bad. Better to know who you're working with than go in blindly. Or so she thought.

"A long one."

That was all he was going to say, that much she could tell. She set the photo down on the table and followed his lead, tracing her fingers lightly against the soft wood paneling of the hallway, passing the stairs. Sounds of giggling and stern warnings wafted from the eating area, but faded again as they walked on.

Cloud nudged a door open, but they didn't go inside. It was one of the kids' rooms, that was for sure. Animal plushies were strewn everywhere along with the proud drawings of the same chocobo-like masterpieces from before...Lightning raised a finger towards the picture.

_That's… _

"Is that a chocobo?" she asked suddenly, catching herself by surprise. She hadn't meant to let that slip…

Cloud's vibrant cerulean eyes locked onto hers, but there was nothing but suspicion in his gaze. "...How did you know that?"

_Damnit…what's gotten into you, Farron? _

Confess or lie?

_Trust, trust, trust! _

"...I have...chocobos in my home, too...same name, figure, color...everything," she said, waiting for his reaction.

It didn't emit much of one. Cloud simply nodded and continued his tour silently, quietly announcing Tifa's room and then to what she assumed to be his own room. He gripped the doorknob and turned it, waiting until it swung open with a _creak _before stepping side. She followed suit, surprised at how dark the room was. The blinds were closed tight and everything seemed to be a mellow gray color. Then again, he _was _a rather quiet person…

"This is my room. You can stay in here as long as you want," he said. "We'll replace the sheets."

"I appreciate it," she said solemnly.

He nodded, but as the door creaked closed his eyes hardened and he crossed his arms. Lightning, who was standing near the bedpost, instantly tensed on instinct.

All sounds from outside the room were muted.

"Something wrong?" she asked coolly, meeting his gaze head-on.

"What the hell was that back there? At the church...the 'chaos' and that web thing?" he demanded. Even now his voice was still quiet, but his tone had sharpened like a viper's hiss.

Lightning partially understood his aggressiveness. Even so, she had saved his sorry –

"I saved you, didn't I?" she snapped. "I told you, the chaos is some sort of dark substance that drags you into the abyss. You'd be down there right now if I hadn't done what I did."

He shook his head. "Chaos, darkness, goddesses...what are you here for, really? I need to know if I'm going to help you out on this. If any of this puts Tifa and the kids in danger, then I can't help you."

He saw right through her. It was nothing short of staggering how well he was able to hide his suspicions during the time they had met and then confront her now. What she needed was to be open and honest...but honesty led to the truth, and the truth was dangerous.

She slightly relaxed, though not much. "I won't lie to you; it will be dangerous. My sister, Serah...I'm doing this for her, for my friends. If I didn't think I had a chance at all to right the wrongs I did before, I wouldn't be standing her now," she admitted. "But I won't lie to you...the risk factor is high. I don't know what will happen, but I'm going to ask you for help now. For my sister."

Cloud stared back at her, searching her eyes for an answer she didn't have. In the end he only nodded, but his shoulders relaxed. "I understand. I can help you while you're here, but in another dimension...?"

"You can think it over. I know it's kind of a strange thing to ask for, but as cheesy as it sounds, I need you and you might need me in the coming days if the chaos continues to grow in that church."

"Tifa...might not approve."

She lifted an eyebrow in curiosity. "Is she your...?"

"Uh, no, she's not," he said quickly after opening the door again.

Suddenly, Tifa's soft voice reached their ears from the first floor. _"Cloud, Lightning...dessert?" _

Cloud looked to Lightning. She shook her head. She figured she'd eaten enough for the day. Even now she was feeling sleepy. They exited and returned to the kitchen, though one thought still strayed in the back of Lightning's mind.

_Am I doing the right thing by bringing Cloud into this? _

She didn't know, but it if it meant saving Serah and preventing the chaos from reaching her on Cocoon then it was a risk she would have to take.

* * *

><p><strong>["Fading Miracle" – <strong>_**Final Fantasy XIII-2 **_**OST] **

The entire household – consisting of two rowdy kids, a mute man, tank of a human, raven-haired barwoman, and ex-soldier – were off to bed just minutes after dessert, stomachs full and eyelids drooping. Lightning was eventually coaxed into trying Tifa's strawberry shortcakes. She marveled at the spongy dough and relished the cool strawberries and chocolate shavings that dappled the cream whip, which tasted exactly how she imagined a fluffy cloud in the sky would taste. She'd had chocolate before, but while Cocoon's fal'Cie-made desserts and candies tasted stale, this was fresh, warm, and a soothing end to an eventful day.

She was able to gather more information on the city she was in and a bit more about 7th Heaven itself. Midgar – or Edge specifically – was the rebuilt remnants of a city that had been obliterated years before by a madman. His name wasn't important, Cloud had said, so she left it at that. Tifa then told her about the beginnings of 7th Heaven. The city was in the process of rebuilding; the "Stigma" Tifa had mentioned earlier was some kind of epidemic caused by the cells of the "bad guys" as Marlene called them. Tifa and Cloud then opened up a bar in the city originally to keep human spirit alive; a delivery service sprouted from there and manned by Strife himself. Form what she could tell, Lightning wondered if the group she had seen in the photo had fought this villain together. Seeing Barrett, it only increased her amount of questions, but they could wait.

As Tifa headed up to Cloud's room to tidy up and the kids distracted Cloud, Lightning turned to Barrett for answers. The enormous man looked half-asleep and just a bit on the tipsy side. Nonetheless, she tried her luck.

"So, Barrett," she began. "Midgar doesn't get very many strangers, do they?"

"Eh?" he opened his eyes and took another swig of purple wine. Her eyes widened as he downed the entire cup. Then again, it could work to her advantage...

He slammed the cup down – unintentionally of course – and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Yeah, you could say that. The only strangers 'round here have been nothin' but trouble! And ya got that pink hair. You stand out 'round here, but as long as ya don't do somethin' stupid, ya ought ta be fine," he rumbled.

She crossed her legs and examined her gloves, crafting her next words carefully.

"Cloud and I might be gone in a few weeks depending on what happens here..." she said slowly, lifting her eyes just enough to catch his reaction.

Even though he had downed four glasses already, the comment piqued his interest. "Whaddaya mean by that?"

"The bar can fend for itself without a man, of course..."

He roared with laughter. "Tifa handles this bar better than any man out there! Hah! You just don't be doin' anything I wouldn't approve of, yeah?"

Lightning waved the threat away. There would be none of _that _for sure.

"You have my word. I'm here to save my sister, that's all," she stated.

"Good."

Tifa called Marlene and Denzel to the second floor; they raced each other, pushing and shoving their way up the staircase. Before they disappeared, Marlene's head appeared around the corner and she waved her hand to Lightning, a grin on her face.

"Good night, Lightning! Welcome to 7th Heaven!" she chirped.

_"Marlene! _You're late for bed _again!"_

The girl giggled and whispered, "See you in the morning!"

Lightning smiled and returned the gesture, wiggling her fingers.

"Night."

At the same moment, Barrett pushed away from the bar booth and began lumbering towards the stairs, following in his daughter's wake. Excerpts of bedtime stories and poems could be heard from Tifa and even Barrett himself. The fact that the man could tell a story semi-coherently and tuck his daughter into bed after five wines impressed Lightning. She'd never liked to drink much.

She herself hopped off the stool and climbed the stairs, meaning to head into Cloud's room. Her holster banged against a table situated in the hallway, and a vase of yellow flowers swung precariously. Weight brought the vase crashing to the ground, and only her lightning-fast reflexes saved her from a potentially embarrassing moment. At the same time, Tifa emerged from Denzel's room to find Lightning with her hands around a flower vase; she set it back.

Tifa put her hands on her hip. "If you don't mind, I'd like to put up your weapon in our hallway closet...not only for the kids' safety, but also for any breakable things," she joked, eyeing the vase.

She narrowed her eyes. She didn't like that. Nonetheless, she had her l'Cie powers and if anything suspicious happened tonight, she was still at her height. So she consented and revealed her Blazefire Saber, turning the safety on and unloading any bullets, storing them in her thigh pack. She handed it to the crimson-eyed woman, trusting her to take care of it. She had a suspicion that Cloud and any visitors that stayed the night were required to retire their weapons. That must mean...

"You can borrow something of mine to sleep in if you'd like," she offered, heading into her room, which was similar to the rest of the house but crammed with strange knick-knacks. "Souvenirs from a journey a long time ago," she explained.

"Ah...so you can fight then? What's your weapon?" Lightning asked.

She lifted her hands, which Lightning now noticed were faintly marred with pale scars. The palms and finger tips were calloused, just like Lightning's.

"My hands. I'm a martial artist."

Lightning nodded, impressed. "How long?" she asked as Tifa folded a pair of black and white checkered sweats and a white tank top with thicker straps. They were comfortable and warm enough.

"Oh...about ten years, I suppose. What, do I not look like I can fight?" she laughed, and placed the clothes in her hands.

Lightning shook her head. "More like a model," she replied.

"I get that a lot." Tifa led her to Cloud's room and showed her a hidden bathroom door she hadn't noticed, maybe because of how dark the room was.

Tifa sighed and opened the windows; immediately the moonlight pouring from the full moon outside lit the room with a blue-tinted glow. There was only a bed, a dresser, and a small desk besides the bed. A bathroom was to the left of the door. In it was anything she'd need like toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, and towels to shower.

"Everything you need is in here. I just stocked it a few days ago and Cloud already has his things. Let me know if you need anything. I'm in the room to the right of the stairs," she said and left with a quick "Night!"

Lightning blew out a puff of air and collapsed on the bed, her hair shot through with moonlight.

What a day.

* * *

><p><strong>["The Void Beyond" – <strong>_**Final Fantasy XIII-2 **_**OST] **

As the house quieted down, doors were shut and muffled whispers from Denzel and Marlene's rooms were heard, followed shortly by admonishment. Snores emitted from Barrett's room after the kids eventually were overcome by sleeps' welcoming arms. Silence reigned over the bar. Lightning sat in a chair by the window sill, moonlight bathing her face and casting a spiky-haired shadow behind her; she donned Tifa's sleeping clothes and although she was warm, her toes were chilly. From her view she could see a little bit over the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. There was an eerie silence outside, too. It wasn't like New Bodhum where the silence was normal in the neighborhood she and Serah had lived in. Quiet was _expected _on the streets after curfew in a luxurious neighborhood such as that one.

This was...different.

Resting her chin on her knees, she couldn't help but not sleep. Too much had gone on in the day to allow her so.

_Like the calm before the storm... _

The day's events were tiring enough, but coupled with the infinite amount of questions she had, it was degrading to the soul. Not only that but Mont Blanc, the irritating moogle she had only met hours ago, was missing in action.

Recounting the entrance into the church left her dubious that he had died. He might not have even come in the same way. There could be more than one time gate, couldn't there?

Barrett and Cloud's conversation at dinner hinted at a possible return trip to the church to meet with the man Barrett called "Rufus." If that was true, she might just have to hitch a ride. If Monty was hanging around the church, she needed to find him.

Right now, he was the only person – or thing, really – she could trust 100%. She believed in the goddess's good intentions and could feel it in her heart; he was a messenger of the goddess, and he had more information about the world she was in than she knew herself.

And then there was the goddess herself, the divine figure whose diminishing powers were the result of a need for guardians. But guarding against who or what? That was the biggest question Lightning had, though until she found Monty she feared it would go unanswered.

She traced a circle on the window absently, drawing the outline of the moon on the dusty glass. The night was chilly and thank Pulse Tifa and Cloud had given her shelter. Otherwise she might have been out in the night huddled around a fire, freezing to death. Her strength has returned, but weariness remained like an overhead storm, looming...

Sleep was the only real cure at this point.

The clocks were set to the same time as Cocoon strangely enough, so when it hit 11:00, she dove into bed, reveling in the down sheets wrapped around her body. Aches and bruises from today were instantly forgotten in place of a sense of belonging. Her sharp eyes closed and she was fast asleep within minutes, her mind still reeling.

* * *

><p><strong>["New Bodhum" – <strong>_**Final Fantasy XIII-2 **_**OST] **

The next day arose from the horizon in the form of a magnificent sun, bursting with light and warmth. The chill of the previous night was long forgotten as Lightning's body began to heat up from underneath the covers, still wrapped in a tight ball and eyes closed tightly. Eventually a loud rapping noise on the bedroom door brought her back from dreamland and into reality as it suddenly burst open and in came Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel.

Immediately Marlene went to the bedside and threw the covers beyond Lightning's reach as an irritated groan emitted from the ball of black, white, and pink. Annoyed, she buried her head under the pillow and scooted away, still hanging on to the last bits of warmth the bed had to offer.

"_GOOOOOD_ MORNING!" Marlene yelled, drawing out the "o".

And then the pillow was ripped out from under her.

The pink head finally lifted herself from the bed; one groggy eye opened and glared at the little girl with _her _pillow cuddled to her chest. Marlene would have hit her over the head with it had soldier instinct not kicked in to block it lazily with the back of her hand. At that point sleeping in wasn't an option.

From her position in the doorway Tifa snickered but hastily retreated into the hallway when she received the Farron Glare™. Marlene threw the pillow back but dashed out after Denzel before the pink-haired soldier could stop her.

_Talk about waking up on the wrong side of the bed... _

Her desire to sleep again now that she had her pillow back were soon dashed as the smell of something extremely appetizing wafted into her room. Lightning inhaled the air, wondering what on Pulse Tifa was making this time. Hurriedly she changed into her uniform – which she noticed had been washed and dried – and descended into the bar area, relieved to see her Blazefire Saber still tucked in the hallway closet. Immediately, mid-morning greetings came from all over the room. Cloud and Barrett were already situated at a table and talking quietly amongst themselves while the kids and Tifa prepared the food. Attracted by the heavenly aroma, Lightning found herself floating to the kitchen area. Marlene was mixing some sort of yellow substance with a metal whisk while Denzel seemed to be laying out six strips of meat. Tifa looked over and laughed.

"Smells good, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. What is it?" she asked.

It was Denzel who answered. "Bacon. Haven't you ever had it before?" His tone leaned towards the sarcastic side, though she didn't mind. Kids will be kids.

"No. Different world, different food," she quipped.

"Well anyways, you can take a seat anywhere and we'll get the dishes on the table. You ought to like this!"

She took a table a few feet away from Cloud and Barret and waited patiently for the food. Her patience was rewarded by food that surpassed the wild, cooked meat of Gran Pulse they had eaten for a few weeks. The "bacon" was a thin strip of meat coated in delicious grease and a sharp flavor that melted the senses. By the end of breakfast, Lightning had eaten nearly five pieces. The pancakes were familiar to her; Serah's favorite breakfast dish was a pancake in fact and she made them frequently.

The food was no sooner on her plate than she was done, laying her fork on her used napkin. She felt refreshed, at her height of power. It was a comfort from yesterday's exhaustion that came with her exiting the pond.

As she helped Tifa clean up, the martial artist explained that the bar was one of the busiest restaurants in Edge at nearly all times of the day and required her presence all day.

"We get pretty packed around lunch and especially at night. It'd be best to get things done during the day while I hold down the fort," she explained.

The sudden intrusion of footsteps sounding on the wooden floorboards caught her attention, though. Cloud's bright blue eyes were steady and Barrett had a slightly aggressive posture. She wondered what was up.

"Yeah?" she finally spoke up, directing the query to the two men. She noticed Cloud's base sword was strapped on his back. Vaguely she wondered if the other sword blades in his motorcycle all attached into one fused sword.

"We're heading back down to the church," Cloud stated simply.

Nod. "You're going to need me with you."

"You were coming anyways," Cloud said before heading out. With a quick wave to Tifa and the kids, both men were already gone before she could react.

A perfect eyebrow raised as an eye twitched.

_Oh, really? _

Her gun blade was holstered securely in the leather pack in just seconds and she walked out into the sunlight. Regulars and newcomers had already begun to pack into the bar, pushing tables around to make room for big parties. Whether because of food or lack of care, they seemed not to notice Lightning as she quietly slinked out the front door and headed towards the garage.

* * *

><p><strong>["Those For the Purge" – <strong>_**Final Fantasy XIII **_**OST****]**

A huge truck was parked in the microscopic alley and coated with flecks of mud and dried clumps of dirt. The windows were fogged with years of wear-and-tear; the tires were caked with grime. In the non-existent space the truck's bloated middle barely scraped by with just a few inches of room on either side of the alley to spare. She found Cloud and Barrett loading various equipment into the bed of the truck until it was full to the brim with various planks of wood and toolboxes. Surely not for the trip to the church?

Both men wiped the dust off their hands. "We ready to head out?" Barrett called, climbing into the seat.

Upon further examination Lightning spotted Cloud's motorcycle tucked in the garage door. Her best bet to getting to the church was with him.

"Yeah."

Lightning flattened herself against the walls as Barrett pulled out, giving a quick wave before his truck rumbled out of view. She turned to find Cloud donning a pair of dark sunglasses and inserting his sword into one of the intricate compartments she had witnessed before. He swung a leg over the leather seat and flicked the power button on. Immediately the engine roared to life but seconds after the noise reduced to a purr.

Lightning was impressed. She hadn't noticed before just how nice it was.

She mounted the bike quickly and sat sideways with her gun blade clutched firmly in her hand, handle resting on her thigh and pointing upwards. Any funny business along the way would surely be met with a bullet or blade. Maybe both.

Cloud glanced at her over his shoulder, but didn't take off just yet.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

And they were off; tires shrieking against the pavement as leftover rainwater gathered in the streets was violently tossed everywhere. The sudden movement nearly knocked the ex-soldier off, but she retained her balance as they shot through the dark streets of Edge, unintentionally splashing curious passerby on the road to the church with rainwater.

Minutes later they were kicking up swirls of dust clouds in what Cloud called the Wasteland; Barrett's obnoxiously loud truck could be heard about a half mile ahead. Lightning couldn't help but notice the similarities between this steppe and Pulse's Archylte Steppe. The difference was that environment had been filled with lush plants – often times carnivorous – and hostile creatures parading the vast green steppes. This one looked like a steppe, but stripped of all life. What had happened here?

Her thoughts were interrupted as the first sign of debris began to appear, the remnants of obliterated buildings and houses; the church came into view as they raced through piles and piles of debris, clumped together with ash and dirt. The church was the only building around not completely destroyed; a ray of hope in such a desolate place.

And yet it was also covered in a thick cloud of chaos.

Her face was grim as she loaded her weapon with bullets.

* * *

><p><strong>["Threat Level Omega" – <strong>_**Final Fantasy XIII-2 **_**OST] **

A crowd of black vehicles blocked the entrance into the church (not that anyone would want to go inside anyway) yet keeping a safe distance from the church that had now become fully encased in a cloud of black chaos. The looming darkness that had only just appeared yesterday to grow into a huge mass alarmed Lightning greatly. The strange magic she had summoned earlier had done nothing but slow it down. Only traces of her webbed light remained, but every minute that passed disintegrated the feeble light more. It seemed the men in black surrounding the entrance could do nothing to stop it...as she had figured.

Amidst the group of fifteen or so people was a man donned in a white suit and grayed blonde hair. Immediately upon their arrival pale faces turned and watched their movement as Cloud directed the bike – Fenrir he called it – through the maze of black-tinted vehicles and slowed to a stop beside Barrett's truck. The stranger whom everyone was gazing at intently stepped off of Fenrir and flicked her weapon into her holster once again, adopting her long stride behind Cloud as they met the group.

The man in white – clearly the leader – nodded to Cloud and tossed a glance to the pink-haired woman, notching an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Rufus Shinra."

"Cloud Strife. How nice of you to drop by," the man greeted, though Lightning couldn't help but notice the slight sarcasm in his voice.

She'd ask Tifa about it later.

Flanked by two people – a man and woman – and surrounded by seemingly elite agents, the man was clearly of a high order of some sort. A governor, mayor? Primarch?

That was the last thing she needed.

Rufus neither acknowledged her presence nor greeted her, so she returned the favor. Instead he led Cloud towards the church without a word, leaving her behind with a group of highly suspicious agents. Their stiff positions made it clear that she wasn't going anywhere until a strange red-haired agent stumbled through, giving her a wave as he pushed a pair of sunglasses on his head. Two half-moon red streaks marked his cheeks, accented by grey eyes and his shocking red hair. Lightning noticed how the other agents' eyes rolled as they turned around once again to observe the church.

Appall was all she knew as the stranger practically grabbed her hand and forced a handshake, a stupid grin on his face.

"Reno, pleased to meet ya!" the man announced, shaking her hand heartily.

With a slight jerk her hand retracted; his lighthearted smile was met with only guarded eyes. "Lightning Farron. I'm with Cloud."

"'Figured. Yo Rude, get your ass over here!" the agent called.

The only woman in the group, who had a nasty scar across her temple, glared at the exuberant redhead. "Shut up!"

"Calm down, Elena," he snickered, and turned to scan the heads for his friend...surely his name wasn't _Rude_?

With a huff of exasperation Reno swiveled back to the new girl...

...Only to find nothing but air.

"..."

"Hmph. She really didn't like me."

* * *

><p><strong>["Unseen Intruder" – <strong>_**Final Fantasy XIII-2 **_**OST]**

As soon as Reno turned his back, she bolted for the mountains of trash and debris, taking shelter behind a dilapidated building miraculously held up by just a few stilts. Through its broken windows of the second floor, Lightning could keep an eye on the group while covering the perimeter without prodding eyes watching her. Despite Cloud's warning last night, she knew that this was something she had to do alone. For his and her sake.

She immediately didn't trust Rufus, whose emotionless eyes and lack of care towards her presence had her on high alert. Her ability to sense the odd was one of the reasons she exceeded so well back in the BCR; Lieutenant Amodar had praised her multiple times for her awareness. Now it was being tested to the limits.

Thankfully none of the corroded boards underneath her feet sent her falling to her death or creaking; the desolation around the church provided excellent cover. She just didn't want to run into something that was hidden _in _desolation.

A minute of making sure the coast was clear and she walked to the other end of the room that faced away from the church, crouched low. She holstered her weapon and vaulted over the window, free-falling to the ground and landing with ease. While she wasn't a l'Cie anymore, wielding the same powers certainly had its advantages.

Once more she whipped out her gun blade with her finger on the trigger, her senses acutely tuned in to her surroundings. She had trained for events like this when absolute perfection was necessary in order to travel silently in broad daylight. Agents or not, they weren't going to spot her. A sudden outburst of surprise came from the group – slightly muffled because of distance – and Lightning picked up speed, scanning the perimeter and climbing over a particular trash heap, allowed her blue pupils to peek over. The agents, Rufus, and Barrett had separated into small groups with Barrett leading one; all had guns drawn... A search party.

Only Rufus remained with the redhead and a huge bald man that reminded her of a hitman. She was drawing closer and closer to the chaos-filled church; close enough to be able to vaguely peer through the haze.

Nothing.

She was about to move to the back of the church when the cold chill of a blade blocked her way. The width was a dead giveaway as to who it was.

"Stand up. Slowly."

Cloud.

* * *

><p><strong>["A World Without Cocoon" – <strong>_**Final Fantasy XIII-2 **_**OST]**

She could feel the tension sparking in the air.

"N–"

She cut him off. "Maybe if you remove your sword away from my neck, I will."

He ignored that. She could feel his sharp eyes on her, watching for any sudden movement. Proof he still didn't trust her; though she hadn't exactly made the situation any better. "Gun. Down."

It fell softly on ash, the sound reminiscent of a time long ago in a crystallized lake. If anything, she still had her magic and her own martial arts.

A slight _swoosh _and the tip was away from her neck. Immediately she hefted the gun blade, but she swiftly holstered it in case Cloud got any bright ideas.

Bright blue eyes regarded her carefully. She couldn't read him at all.

"What were you doing out here?" he demanded softly, indicating he didn't want a confrontation with Rufus's men either.

"You tell me. Who were those people?"

"Turks."

"Turks? Special agency?"

"Sort of. They act as a government; Rufus is the president of them...you don't want to do anything stupid in front of those guys," he explained. He relaxed. Slightly.

"And no introduction or 'Hi! This girl just jumped into our dimension from a time gate in Valhalla, the realm of the dead!'?" Lightning hissed quietly, wary of the "Turks."

He followed her lead, but stopped in his tracks. The pink-haired woman turned to see what was the problem and was shocked to see the ground...forming into a mound. The trash seemed to be expanding underneath their feet until a flash of red light blinded them both.

In all his glory, Mont Blanc exploded from beneath the ashes, his wings coated in black flakes and his white face now smudged with grey. Despite the apparent wear-and-tear, he was seemingly fine...or as soon as he spotted a familiar woman with pink spikes.

But it was Cloud who spoke first.

"A moogle?!" he exclaimed, lowering his sword that he had drawn on instinct.

An explosion of curses emitted from the moogle's tiny mouth.

Lightning dipped her head back and groaned.

Damnit.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I tried to make it longer than usual since it's been awhile since I've updated. Anyways, I would love it if you could tell me what you thought since I struggled with the first bit at 7th Heaven. I tried not to get too...clichéd? I don't know how to put it, but I'm hoping it was mellow enough not to suggest a CloudxLight pairing. Again, this story does not feature them as a pairing.

So, theme song? You might've heard it in the recent trailers of a certain game releasing next year:

"Thermal Shock" by Cliff Lin, Riptide. Listen to it on YouTube!

-**WriteFF13**


	9. Christmas Special

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, SEASONS GREETINGS, HAPPY KWANZA, HAPPY HANUKKAH, and everything else in between! I hope you all have/had a great holiday, so here's my little present to you. Believe it or not, _Worlds Collide _was published back in 2011, and I hope you've enjoyed Cloud, Lightning, and Monty's adventures so far! I hope you like this little Christmas Special! This chapter doesn't necessarily follow the story and is just sort of a fluff extra! I'd like to thank the following people for their great reviews that truly have kept me continuing this story:

**Fabulanova780, CloudxLightningFan97, MaroonAngel of Darkness, KH-Hardcorefan4483, thepowerofmako, Lola Estheim, Irish-Brigid, AnonymousNameless, The Forsaken Martyr, haha42, Guest, denebtenoh, Driven By Apathy, cloudfarron, 261,** **The Darkness Factor**, and **JayneParker**. Your reviews are awesome! Thank _you!_

This chapter may sound similar to a story that will soon be published, but the reason for that is because it was written by my friend and I, but I wanted to make my own Xmas chapter, so it's been shortened and slightly changed. Just a heads-up so no one attacks that story when it does come out! Her pen name is **OtakuLockhart21**.

Write on,

**WriteFF13**

* * *

><p><strong>.:WORLDS COLLIDE:. <strong>

_Chapter 9 – Christmas Special!_

**[Any Charlie Brown Christmas song will do, honestly. Choose to your heart's content!]**

Once again, Lightning found herself at the mercy of one certain Tifa Lockhart and Marlene Wallace, both of which were practically on their knees with the largest eyes she had ever seen. In the little girl's hand was a bright, red Santa hat topped with a ridiculous puff of white and its fur was painted red and green. What was more ridiculous was that she was expected to wear that...that...hideous _thing! _

Lightning crossed her arms, adamant. She had been coaxed into going to the party a few months ago, but this was crossing the line. "Absolutely not."

Tifa stuck out her bottom lip and Marlene tugged on her red cape, her face the epitome of a disappointed child. The hardened soldier had been dreading this the day Cloud tauntingly muttered something about a "family photo" during one of their trips to Rufus's in Kalm. She had asked for details but the blonde refused, a small, devilish smile gracing his lips.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling heavily.

_I swear if that man is not undergoing the same torture as I am, heads are going to roll. By _my _blade. _

Tifa and Marlene held their breath, apprehensive. After all, Barrett had collapsed only after a few minutes of his daughter giving him the puppy-dog look and Denzel was straight-up forced to wear his elf hat while Marlene and Tifa were already decked out in matching suits. Tifa's suit revealed her midriff and the bottom was a skirt lined with faux white fur. Marlene's was a size too big and rather hung off her, but the effect was comical nonetheless. Mont Blanc had a bit of a soft spot for Marlene, who had insisted on adorning him in elf ears that had to be strapped around his head due to his lack of, well…ears. He scowled the whole time but took it like a moogle as his short shirt was exchanged for a candy-cane sweater. He shrieked when his shirt was suddenly ripped off, squealing about being "naked" to the world.

She turned back to the girls, glaring fiercely at both.

In one swift motion Lightning ripped the hat from her grasp and stalked towards a booth by the door to wait, her face red and her arms crossed tightly across her chest.

The barkeeper and child immediately jumped to their feet and exchanged high-fives.

Four down…

One to go.

"Who are we waiting for, anyway?" Lightning barked from her seat.

Marlene giggled, along with Tifa, who couldn't help but let a snicker escape. The pink-haired woman raised her eyebrows, her situation momentarily forgotten. They _couldn't _have? If it was true, then she wanted a picture of this moment, _now. _

"You didn't..." Lightning mused, unbelieving.

Tifa nodded gravely. "We did."

Lightning clucked her tongue. Someone was a softy for one cute little girl and an attractive woman apparently.

The entire room quieted – minus the snowstorm swirling outside – as footsteps became apparent on the creaky stairs leading to the second floor of 7th Heaven. Every step seemed to bow down and the footsteps were agonizingly slow, as if the newcomer was being dragged down to an eternity of hyper-active elves and winter wonderland of absolute _hell_. Tifa had her camera poised and the room seemed to hold its breath.

And then he emerged.

Cloud Strife, ex-SOLDIER and one of the strongest men in the world.

Cloud Strife, guardian of two. Make that three.

Cloud Strife, the one who defeated Sephiroth not once, but three times.

Cloud Strife, who even when plagued by Geostigma had the strength to fight on.

Cloud Strife, Lightning's companion in battle and guardian of Valhalla.

Cloud Strife, who was now donned in the largest red and white Santa suit Lightning had ever seen.

* * *

><p>Days later Lightning would have readily admitted she was the one to crack first.<p>

She couldn't hold back the bout of laughter that erupted in her throat, loud and obnoxious. The laugh time she laughed like that was when Snow was ran over by a herd of chocobos back on Pulse. Pretty soon the entire room followed her lead and burst into laughter; there was no holding back as Cloud stood there pathetically with a Santa hat squishing his spiked hair into his face as it kept slouching over his eye. His ears first turned red and then his entire face, but his intense glare only caused more laughter as he quickly stalked out to Barrett's truck. Lightning wiped away tears as the last laughs died.

She'd remember that for years.

Marlene had fallen to the floor, holding her aching stomach. A camera was stationed in her grasp, and Lightning knew the girl had gotten a picture, thankfully.

"You're going to want to hide that before Cloud uses it as target practice," she told Marlene, who snorted rather un-ladylike and nodded.

Tifa began rounding up the kids, finishing up everyone's outfit before ushering the crew outside and stuffing everyone into Barrett's truck as snow whipped through the barren alleyway outside. Tifa entrusted Lightning to lock up the bar and she did so hurriedly, shivering in her miniskirt and sleeveless uniform. Barrett pulled up front and honked loudly, earning irritated glares from the passerby bundled up in winter clothing.

The entire circus departed from 7th Heaven as they roared down Main, racing for the newly-built mall, funded by Rufus Shinra. This outing to take 7th Heaven's family photo was not only embarrassing for Cloud, but also a little salt in the wound because of his squabble with Rufus months ago after Sephiroth and the Remnants' defeat. Cloud _and _Lightning both hoped none of Rufus's agents or the man himself would be present at the photo booth given his still-fragile condition. The last time she had seen Reno the idiot had hit on her and Rude had nearly put a bullet in her head. Not to mention Rufus gave her the cold shoulder, to which she returned.

Things weren't exactly vanilla and roses between the two.

At the present moment, Lightning was seated in the shotgun seat of the truck with Marlene squished in between her and her dad. Cloud was hunched over in the seat behind Barrett, doing his best to slouch down so no one could see him in his festive getup. Denzel was leaning over the back of Marlene's seat and messing with her hair while the latter belted out Christmas carols.

Tifa soon joined in. Lightning's ears began to bleed.

Eternally.

As soon as the song started, however, it quickly became clear this wasn't your ordinary holiday carol. Marlene couldn't help but add in her own touch.

_"Deck the halls with boughs of mako! _

_ Kweh, kweh, kweh, kweh, kweh…kweh, kweh, kweh, kweh!" _

She either became bored of that song or was creating the ultimate mix of Christmas carols combined with the elements in her own world.

_"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the waaaaay! Oh how fun it is to ride on a golden chocobo, hey!" _

The next one Lightning couldn't help but snicker at.

_"Cloud Strife got ran over by a reindeer!_

_ But as for me and Tifaaaa, we believe!" _

Denzel suddenly reached over and pulled on one of Marlene's ears until she yelped, her song coming to an abrupt halt. Marlene turned ferocious eyes on him and snarled, her purple-brown eyes boring lasers into his head.

"You missed like three lines, stupid!" Denzel said.

Marlene rolled her eyes – a mirror image of Tifa – and turned around to begin another long chorus. Though Lightning didn't really mind, considering…

Her ears had long since fallen off.

* * *

><p><strong>["Comical World" – <strong>_**BLEACH **_**OST]**

Somehow, the whole crew managed to arrive in one piece. Sure, Cloud's ego had been deflated and his reputation destroyed and Lightning had lost hearing due to the world's worst juvenile singer, but other than that, 7th Heaven's caravan was alive and well.

Emotional scars nonexempt.

Barrett screeched to a halt right in front of the mall…literally.

Lightning peered over the egde of her window and was met with the sidewalk pavement. Just a yard to her left was the glass doors inside of the mall cafeteria. They were parked right in front of the mall.

"Uh...Barrett...?" she trailed, jabbing a thumb towards her window. "Are we blocking off everyone?"

The large man laughed and climbed out on his side, lifting Marlene out by the arms. "Eh, people can climb over! Besides, wouldn't want Cloudy to have to walk through the entire parking lot!" He burst into laughter once again, waving away the said man in a Santa suit's laser beam-eyes.

"...Right."

Tifa kicked open her door and stepped out, pulling her skirt down as she exited the cramped quarters and helping Denzel out. She leaned her elbows on her seat with her legs crossed and stared at Cloud expectedly. The blonde was trying so hard to shrink under his new hat that all Lightning could see was a chocobo head and something that resembled a neck. His bright eyes looked anywhere but Tifa's intimidating crimson orbs.

The pink-haired soldier snickered and stepped outside, shivering in the sudden chill that touched her skin like frosty fingers. Indeed, civilians grumbled as they squeezed in past the truck, shooting the odd crew irritated glares. One man especially paused to simply glare at Lightning, which was promptly returned by an icy glare and a flick of her gunblade handle. The shopper quickly got the idea and hurried on.

When she turned around, she wasn't surprised to find Tifa literally dragging Cloud out of the truck by his fake beard and arm. She braced her leg against the edge of the truck and heaved until the man himself plopped onto the ground face-first. He became a pile of red and white, crumpled like a rag doll. Lightning was surprised he was letting himself be humiliated.

Tifa grinned and tried to pull him up, but he wasn't having it. Cloud Strife, a man who held himself to the highest expectations, had already given up and retreated inside of himself.

Barrett and Marlene had already burst through the doors, racing towards the actually Santa booth (Cloud was not the Santa, unfortunately).

Lightning shivered again and rubbed her hands together, blowing hot breath in between them. She crossed her arms tightly around her and tapped her foot impatiently.

Tifa delivered a swift quick to Cloud's side, earning a groan of pain. Another kick only served to cause him to retreat further into his ball of velvet and faux fur. The barwoman threw her hands up in defeat, shaking her head at Lightning.

"Light?" she said.

"On it," the woman replied, slowly walking towards the crumpled heap of Strife. As her boots clicked against the pavement, slightly muffled by snow that had gathered in the cracks, the said chocobo head moaned and began scooting away, heading for under the truck. He kept his hat firmly pushed over his eyes.

The woman tightened her gloves and pulled her top down further, straightening any creases. Her gunblade slid out and she flicked the handle up, gripping it and sliding it from its holster as it transformed into a _very _long and _very _sharp sword. With the Blazefire Saber in its full form she stopped behind Cloud's pathetic form and smirked, absolutely smug.

In one swift motion she stabbed a dragging part of his pants leg where the material gathered because the entire suit was much too big for Cloud's 5'7 form. Immediately the blade ceased any further progress. It was rooted firmly in the ground, Lightning had made sure of that. Cloud stopped, but didn't exactly turn around either.

"Lose the pants and the pathetic attitude...or both," she warned before reaching down to clutch the back of the suit by the neck, hauling the man to his feet. "Either way, you're coming with us whether you like it or not. I am not about to freeze my ass off out here because you can't sacrifice your man ego for a bit of fun."

Cloud hunched his shoulders as she removed the blade, also taking away any chance of losing his pants. Now _that _would have been bad. He knew any funny business and he'd take a shockingly hot Firaga to the ass. He didn't want to relive that again.

So he quickly dodged into the mall, ears reddening as other children began pointing at him and screaming, "Santa! Santa! Why don't you have white hair, Santa?"

Lightning and Tifa followed suit; the latter held her hand out for a high-five. Lightning returned it with grace.

"It's a good thing we have you!" Tifa chuckled, leaning her hands against the velvet ropes bordering the line in wait for Santa pictures. The Santa was out of view, but Marlene and her huge dad could be seen in the back.

"No problem."

* * *

><p><strong>["Tears of the Past, Dreams of the Future" – Sahmlockhart on ]<strong>

Marlene and her dad finally made it to the front of the line as the former squealed in glee upon leaping onto Santa's lap, flashing the biggest grin Lightning had seen since she had met the bright girl a few months ago. She retrieved a list of Christmas wishes and began to read them off; the Santa man's eyebrows rose higher and higher until they disappeared completely under his Santa hat and fake grey hair. On it was a list of wishes that Marlene wanted to benefit not only herself, but her family...7th Heaven. Tifa smiled when she heard the girl read off, "Number seven: I want Tifa to have an entire week of vacation in Costa del Sol."

Although Cloud was hiding in the corner near the pastry counter, he could clearly hear Marlene as she read off number six:

"Number six: I want Cloud to get new parts for his bike and be able to stay home more often."

Denzel:

"Number five: I want Denzel to stop being so annoying!"

The boy frowned at that and glared at her, receiving a coy smile. Tifa shook her head, sighing and enjoying the time she had off. Lightning leaned against a wall that supported the small second floor of tables and chairs. A Santa hat was still clenched in her grasp, but no matter what that thing wasn't going over her pink hair. Tifa was just happy she had agreed to bring it.

"So, Light..." Tifa began. She hoped it wasn't a touchy subject; sometimes it was hard to tell with the solemn soldier that she was. "Did you have Christmas on Cocoon with your sister?"

Lightning instantly smiled, though it was also touched with sadness. She remembered every gift she had given and received to and from Serah. After their parents' deaths and their wills had been sorted out, they had plenty of money to live off of...until it eventually ran out and Lightning was forced to quit college and enter into the Guardian Corps. Presents became smaller, but she had tried to put more thought into them. The one she remembered most was the black armband that she wore herself. She had one replicated and gave it to Serah, who always wore it faithfully. Even now, she wondered if she was still wearing it. Their Christmas holidays were small but sweet. They did the best they could, and that was enough. Serah has once told her that, "You being my sister and taking care of me after Mom and Dad died is the best present I've ever gotten."

"Yeah, we did...it was a bit less...entertaining than this, to say the least," Lightning answered, referring to the chaos of the morning as 7th Heaven prepared for the family photo.

Tifa laughed knowingly. "That's usually how things are around here."

"So I've noticed."

"So where'd Monty head off to, anyways?"

"Who knows? He could be in Valhalla for all I care."

"..."

Suddenly a voice called out.

"_Tifaaaaa!_ Time for the family photo! Santa says we and take a few while we're already at the front of the line!" Marlene chirped from his lap. Barrett positioned himself behind Santa – he had already promised his daughter a photo, casting a reluctant grin towards the camera man. A flash and then the sound of the elf working the camera's printer copying two glossy photos.

Lightning scowled. It seems it couldn't be avoided.

"Light – "

The young woman threw her hands up in defeat and shoved the ridiculous Santa hat, trudging towards Marlene and the Santa man. A Christmas tree had been placed behind his red and gold chair, and its spiky pine needles poked her back uncomfortably. Might as well get it over with, she figured. Besides, Tifa was going to have her hands full with someone _else… _

Cloud had since retreated to the farthest corner of the cafeteria, sulking in his oversized Santa suit. He blanched when he saw Tifa marching over to him and tried to slink away, but she wasn't having it. She gathered the extra fabric on the front of his shirt and dragged him to the booth, ignoring the waves of laughter as people began to recognize the spiky-haired blonde. She centered him right behind Marlene with Denzel to his right in between Barrett. Lightning stood to Cloud's left while Tifa leaned down near Marlene. As the camera elf readied himself, the gang made themselves comfortable.

Lightning elbowed Cloud and quirked the edge of her lip in order to whisper just loud enough so that he could hear. "Nice suit, Santa."

Even in her peripheral vision she could see his eye twitch underneath the rim of the hat in between his blonde spikes.

"Shut up."

"Tch."

"Smile, everyone!" the elf said tiredly, hefting the camera.

_Click. _

The first photo showed up on the screen behind him as he slightly edited it to fit Tifa's required dimensions for a planned picture frame she had made with Marlene earlier. They would be distributed to Cid, Yuffie, and even Vincent.

Marlene's grin covered Santa's head completely as she strained to get in the middle of the picture; Denzel was shoving her head down and turning away from the shot completely while Tifa was still trying to wrangle the two. Cloud had sunk so far down in his suit that nothing was visible but extremely bright, glowing mako eyes. Lightning was conveniently...turned around completely, her back facing the camera and arms crossed.

"Let's try that again," the cameraman said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Tifa finally separated Marlene and Denzel, but she turned to find Lightning turned around. A tap on the shoulder and the young woman reluctantly turned to face the camera. She was just happy Cloud was _included. _

"Everyone...1...2...3...c_heese!" _

And so 7th Heaven's fourth annual family photo was taken, with a recent new addition to the household. Although Cloud was nearly nonexistent in his oversized outfit and Lightning was still staring off into space, the majority of those present had their picture snapped and Tifa later put into a frame, sending a late Christmas gift to her former AVALANCHE members.

A day later as Lightning was walking down the stairs she happened to see a red and green frame hanging on the wall.

It read:

**MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE FAMILY **

**AT 7****TH**** HEAVEN! **

She smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>Hope you enjoyed my Christmas/New Year's Special! Sorry it took so long to update as usual, though this time I was actually on vacation and had little access to any internet connection besides that on my phone. Nonetheless, hope you enjoyed! 2013 here we come!

-**WriteFF13**


	10. Chaos Reigns

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Whelp, hope everyone had a lovely 2012 year, so let's start off 2013 with another chapter to _Worlds Collide_, shall we? Thanks for all of the reviews! Crazy to think this is one of the lesser-known stories and it has 40 reviews! Let's drive it up even more! Rereading this it may sound like a CloudxLight chapter, but trust me, it's not. If anything, I ship CloudxTifa more than any other pairing, but you won't see any fluff between either two in this series.

On a side note, I'm extremely sick with an annoying cold. Anyone know of any herb remedies? I've tried tea and salted water., but I don't really like taking medicine...any suggestions? I feel like I have chaos in _my _throat!

Official battle theme for this fic: "Thermal Shock" by Cliff Lin in his album _Riptide. _I love this song not only because of its eerie beat, but it fits well with a future chapter I have in mind...as for a battle theme, it ties in with Cloud and Lightning's darker side in battle...the more ruthless soldier in both of them. That's the main reason I chose this song as the battle theme for WC.

Official theme song: "FINAL FANTASY Dissidia Duodecim 012 'Final Trailer'". Not only are Cloud and Lightning "introduced" to each other in this game, but the sheer epicness of this song warrants approval by me, and the theme song for WC fits. If you haven't played this game, PLAY IT!

Write on,

**WriteFF13**

* * *

><p><strong>.:<span>WORLDS COLLIDE<span>:. **

_Chapter 10 – Chaos Reigns _

**["Setting You Free" – **_**Final Fantasy XIII **_**OST] **

Monty's mouth was open for only a second more before Lightning's hand darted out and snatched the moogle up, smothering his mouth. Mont Blanc's eyes were downturned, furious, but at that point the soldier didn't really care. She wasn't about to be caught by a bunch of Turks because of this moogle's loud mouth. However, over the steady hiss of the chaos swirling around inside of the church the moogle's cries of protest were muffled. Still, the Turks were trained special agents, and after her recent disappearance, she didn't know if they would be willing to hear her out or not.

Lightning and Cloud immediately fell to the ground, crouching low. The blonde gestured towards a pile of debris and I-beams that were stashed directly behind the church, a few safe yards away. They darted for them and Lightning released Monty, quieting him with one simple, cold look.

Sensing the need for silence, the moogle reluctantly closed his mouth, though his fists were shaking.

"It's a – "

"A moogle. Mont Blanc...or Monty, as he's called," she whispered back, watching the chaos inside, spilling out of the roof and accumulating in swirls of darkness. The chaos must have leaked out from the Historia Crux when she traveled through...but that meant...

"Monty," Lightning whispered urgently. The Turks could be anywhere.

He simply glared at her.

"Can I talk now, kupo?" he snapped, but conscious of the volume of his voice. After all, he was in this for Valhalla.

Lightning blinked. "Yes."

"I wasn't asking for your permission, kupo!" he retorted, wings flapping hard. "What are we hiding for anyway?"

"I'll tell you later." She shifted a large sheet of metal and blocked off the path leading to their huddle. It wasn't much, but at the same time it was something. "Besides, where the hell have you been?" She remembered the countless times when she could used the moogle's knowledge.

_"'I'll tell you later'," _he mocked.

Lightning gritted her teeth, clenching her fist. Cloud glanced between the two and sighed, irritated. Out of the three of them, he was the most clueless. Lightning had snuck off from the Turks, a moogle had appeared from the ground, and Aerith's church was enveloped in darkness.

"Save the fighting for later," he said quietly. "What were you trying to do in the first place?"

Monty and Lightning suddenly ceased their bickering, turning away ashamedly. Yet Lightning was only distracted for another moment, then nodded towards the church.

"I need to get in there," she said simply.

Monty stared at her, incredulous. "You have a death wish, kupo?! Why not just let it ooze nastiness, kupo?"

This time Cloud answered. "There are people who live on this planet with a disease, and the pond in that church is the only source of healing we've had since the Rain. If Lightning thinks there's a way to stop that chaos from going any further, that's what we're going to do."

Mont Blanc blinked, only fully realizing the size of the blade strapped on Cloud's back. He gulped, intimidated by the sharp gaze of the ex-soldier's bright eyes. The moogle suddenly popped into the air, held aloft by some unknown power – Lightning had noticed he didn't always flap his wings when he flew – and began zooming towards the elegant structure.

Lightning was also surprised. Cloud didn't always talk much, but when he did, he meant it. "Right. Let's go."

The two darted from their positions, speeding for the back of the church. On one side was a gaping opening where chaos spilled in heaps. It seemed to have a mind of its own as it slowly leaked out, hissing slightly. Lightning grimaced.

This was not going to end well.

"You sure about this, kupo?" Monty asked. Lightning was shocked to hear just a minute amount of concern in his voice.

"Monty – "

"'Cause we don't have all day. I'm starving! I've been trapped under that pile of trash for days now, kupo!"

Lightning rolled her eyes. Scratch that.

"Are you sure that stuff is safe to move around in?" Cloud asked, peering at the tendrils of chaos. Clearly he remembered their attack upon his meeting with Lightning.

She did too. Turning to the moogle she asked, "Well, Monty?"

"For humans, no, but I'm immune to it because I live in Valhalla. The chaos is everywhere in Etro's realm so she granted us immunity to it...well up to a certain amount, kupo. If it overrides our system, then...we die."

"Great. So what about _us_?"

"I just told you! I don't know, kupo. Etro may have blessed you with the same gift, but I don't know about this guy."

"Cloud. Forgot to mention him," she said, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder at him.

The said man nodded his head quickly; Monty did the same.

"I'm going in. The day you found me here, I'd emerged from the pond through a time gate – the same one I told you about earlier. The Historia Crux is connected to Valhalla, and therefore the chaos. I'm thinking it slipped in when Monty and I arrived, but other than that I have no clue how it keeps growing."

"Wait..."

"Yeah?"

"_From _the pond? What do you mean?"

"The time gate...it's submerged deep under that pond..." she trailed off, confused.

He shook his head. "That's impossible. The pond is only a few feet deep. It's clear, too."

"How else would you like me to explain how I swam from the bottom of that pond and into the church? Cloud, it's like a lake down there. And it's filled with chaos right now. The longer we talk here the faster it grows. Who knows what kind of effect it will have here? You said there's a disease on the planet that can be healed by the pond's water. Don't you want that available again?" she said.

He merely nodded, keeping his thoughts to himself.

"Cloud, stay here. I don't know what this is going to do to me, but there's no point in getting us both killed. See if you can't call off your friends' search. I'm going to need some time."

"Sure."

Lightning stood and flicked her gunblade into a sword, gripping it tightly. The chaos swirled around her feet; she sucked in a breath, but nothing happened. Could she actually be...?

"Y-you're immune, kupo..."

_If the will of the goddess bids it so, then so be it. _

She blinked in surprise, but could feel newfound strength flowing through her veins. Whether it was adrenaline or the goddess had yet to be revealed.

"Ready, kupo?"

She breathed in slowly, closing her eyes.

_Serah..._

"Ready."

Moogle and soldier stepped forward into the darkness. Minutes later they were swallowed by the chaos as they made their way into the heart of the church.

* * *

><p><strong>["Will To Fight" – <strong>_**Final Fantasy XIII **_**OST] **

The second they stepped through the massive wall of chaos, the room was pitched into near absolute darkness – only Monty's slightly glowing pom-pom served as a guide as they blindly moved in. His immunity allowed him to see clearer through the chaos and although Lightning seemed to possess the same gift, this was the first time she had fully immersed herself into the chaos..._intentionally. _Moogle and human fought against the massive force of the chaos at its strength attempted to push them back. It was like fighting through a blast of uncontrollable wind from the Oerba tundra.

Lightning held her arms out in front of her, squeezing her eyes tightly. Chaos swirled around her body, intertwining around her boots and curling up around her arms, causing her to shiver. Nonetheless, it didn't attack her and for that she was thankful. Etro had blessed her after all. She could feel a bed of flowers padding the ground beneath her, but even their vibrant chroma of petals couldn't withstand the intensity of the chaos.

_"Monty!" s_he called, shouting above the loud hiss of the chaos.

"Kupo?" his voice was right to her left.

She opened one eye to better see her companion. "The pond should be just a foot in front of us. I'm going to dive down!"

The moogle had to elevate his voice to a near screech, his squeal grating to the ears. He hung on to the back of her cape now because of the rather low mass of his body, but even so his body still whipped around even as he tree-ladder climbed his way to her shoulder. "Are you stupid, kupo?! That's where the chaos is _coming _from! You can only take so much and now you're gonna swim around in it? You're insane, kupo!"

She kneeled down, feeling with her hands until her gloved fingers gripped the edge of the floor. She jerked her hand back when she felt the sharp sting as her finger touched shockingly cold water; she dropped her blade and laid it aside. Her bright blue eyes stared down at the dark water, grimacing at the ugly reflection of chaos rising around her form.

_If you're really out there, Etro, hear me now. _

"W-what are you going to do down there, kupo?"

She unstrapped the thigh pack and threw it beside the Blazefire Saber, along with her gloves and outer uniform. Standing she stepped back, face set in a resolute gaze.

"Stay here, Monty."

"Fine by me, kupo," he scoffed but she could tell he was slightly annoyed. "It's virtually impossible to stop the chaos, ya know..."

"I stopped it the other day with some weird magic...I could feel Etro inside of me..." she murmured, but the moogle didn't catch her voice over the roar of the chaos.

_The Geostigma. _

_ Cloud, the second guardian. _

Both were valid reasons to do what she was doing now, risking her life to stem the flow of the impending chaos. Yet she couldn't help but wonder if she was throwing any her life needlessly should things go awry. She had arrived in Midgar just yesterday and already she was back, diving into a pool of chaos.

_Wish me luck, Serah._

* * *

><p><strong>["Shard" (Ambiance) – <strong>_**Mirror's Edge **_**OST]**

Taking a running start, she leaped into the air and dove headfirst, splitting the chaotic waters with her hands as she delved into the church's very heart of chaos. Her senses suddenly became deaf to the outside world as her body became submerged in the thick black liquid, stinging at her skin but doing no more damage than that. If anything as she swam downwards, the worst part of it was the iciness, like a liquid glacier stuck in a freezer and left to thaw.

Her eyes blinked sharply, trying to penetrate the darkness of the water but it was near impossible. Everywhere she turned thick chaos simply swirled around her, clinging to her clothes and dragging her down. It took little energy to shake it off, but she could only stand so much time being underwater. Years ago in her admission to the Bodhum Security Regiment she had been timed for her amount of time underwater...three minutes and thirty-six seconds as a human. She recently discovered as l'Cie that she could stay submerged in a pond on the Archylte Steppe for six minutes exactly.

Human.

L'Cie.

Who could tell the difference anymore? As far as Lightning was concerned, wielding l'Cie-type powers certified her as evolving into something above the level of a human, yet not restrained by the brand of a Pulse or Cocoon l'Cie. The strange power Etro had granted from either had come from within her, not just some random "light" element.

_Etro has granted me powers beyond reckoning...to combat the chaos?_

She curled into a ball with her knees tucked in and her palms forming the outline of an invisible sphere within the palms of her hands. She felt the gesture was similar to summoning Odin, but this was stronger...as if the goddess herself were feeding this power into the palm of her hands.

Intense light covered in a golden sheen exploded from her hands into a sphere of otherworldly magic, blinding the waters around her in pure white. In a matter of milliseconds the chaos disintegrated, snaking away from the spell and into the very abyss of the pond, leaving only small globs of a black substance floating in the water, which was now clear. Above the pond Monty zoomed above the surface anxiously, but whizzed back when rays of light burst from beneath, easily reaching out above the roof and piercing the skies.

Beneath the water the world had seemed to morph into the very edge of a mirror. Reflections of herself followed her everywhere as bubbles, and even the waters around her seemed to distort into images of herself. Lightning struggled to contain the light, clutching it to her chest as her pink hair moved freely. Pressure built until it was impossible to contain; muscles straining, she released it, covering her face when it exploded. All she knew was golden rays streaking through the water. For a brief moment she spotted the time gate ten feet below her, scorched black and flickering slightly. The chaos that had been leaking from it immediately dispersed, though not back into the Historia Crux. Instead, it only retreated into the very bottom of the fathomless depths, unseen by her eyes anymore.

_I did it...I actually did it... _

Suddenly she felt a sharp, painful sting in her head, like a serrated knife dipped in fire and piercing through her brain...she curled in pain, clamping her hands tightly over her ears and gritting her teeth so hard she heard them grinding against each other painfully. Blinding flashes appeared behind her eyes before fading into nothing more than imprints.

Her mouth opened to utter a cry of pain, but water quickly flowed into her mouth.

Moments later she had gone limp, her body aimlessly floating. Yet she didn't float to the surface...

The chaos was fighting back.

* * *

><p><strong>["Ithavoll Building – Lower Floors" – <strong>_**Bayonetta **_**OST]**

Cloud would never forget the image of gold shooting out from the darkness of the church, swirling in elegant spirals. It wasn't _fighting _the chaos... or rather, its presence alone was enough to drive the chaos back into the pond. Later he would describe it as "heaven exploding inside of her church."

Soon enough the chaos had cleared enough to where he could spot the moogle flitting nervously back and forth by a pile of someone's belongings. He cautiously stepped forward and arrived at the pond's edge, trying to peer through the blinding light.

"What happened?" he asked, alarmed.

The moogle spun around, scared witless.

"I-I don't know, kupo!" The moogle made to dive down, but his wings lifted him back into the air as if repelled by something ghastly. "I can't stand the cold!"

The blonde dipped his head down to get level with the flying critter, bright eyes peering anxiously into the moogle's squints. "What's wrong? Did she do it?"

"Yes, but...darn that wench, kupokupo! I _knew _this was going to happen, kupo, I knew it! What am I going to do, kupo? What will she say when I return, kupokupo…kupo!"

Monty's anxiety levels raised with every "kupo" he added; his wings were flitting so fast they were now almost a blur. He twisted to the ex-soldier, zooming in close to his face so the former had to lean back uncomfortably.

"Lightning's not back yet...if I don't bring her back to alive the goddess will kill me, kupo! You have to do something _now_, kupo!"

Before Cloud could respond the light began to fade, dwindling into the pond where somewhere, Lightning was. Both were able to look over the edge without hurting their eyes, but nothing but a clear reflection of their anxious faces met them. Cloud strained his eyes but saw his own bright blue orbs staring back at him.

"I'll get her."

Mont Blanc's head whipped around. "Then hurry, kupo!"

"Those men in black outside...can you tell them what's happened? Tell them you're with me – they won't hurt you and they can help," Cloud said softly, strapping his sword tightly onto the magnets hanging from his shoulder. Yet unlike Lightning he didn't have time to lighten the weight on his back.

"But the chaos could kill you, kupo!" Monty protested.

Cloud didn't even flinch.

"That's a risk I'll have to take," he said softly before jumping in after Lightning.

His black outfit soon became engulfed in the water, leaving Monty behind with erratic nerves.

"_Kupoooo!" _With a quick huff he zoomed off.

* * *

><p><strong>["Angel Advent" – <strong>_**Bayonetta **_**OST]**

Upon entering the pond – which Cloud had previously thought to be shallow – he immediately spotted Lightning, her body a faint glow directly beneath him. Ignoring the extra weight his sword brought, he dove further down, kicking his legs hard even as he was pushed upwards. As he swam he looked around, Mako eyes quickly adjusting to the water around him. He was shocked to find the pond extremely deep; even as he swam straight down the bottom seemed endless. He also spotted the chaos lurking at the bottom, but Cloud ignored the earlier warnings the moogle had given him, making his way to Lightning.

He swam in front of her, checking for consciousness and then a pulse. The former proved false, yet when he pressed a thumb to her wrist he could feel a strong pulse pounding beneath his finger. Her body floated, eyes shut and hair gently waving around her face. Cloud could begin to feel the draw of the chaos, a sort of evil force pulling him downwards. For a brief moment his eyes stopped on her face and for the first time since their meeting he once again felt as if he knew her from some other time, some other place...her slender face and spiked hair were startling similar to his own...as if...he shook his head, banishing any further thought.

He didn't waste a moment longer.

The easiest way to get her back to the surface was to tow her along by the hand and use his free one to carve a path through, but the chaos seemed to have a mind of its own and could easily wrap around any dangling limbs – he remembered that from his first encounter with the otherworldly substance yesterday. Wrapping an arm around her waist and throwing one over his shoulder so he could keep a hold on her hand barred any interference from the chaos below.

But it made swimming all the more harder.

It seemed ages before he finally kicked his way to the surface, struggling to keep Lightning at his side and slipping from his grasp while trying to break the edge of the water before his own oxygen supply ran out. The surface was like a mirror, perfectly still yet reflecting the outside world. That image was violently distorted as he burst through, coughing excess water out. He heaved Lightning out and laid her safely on the edge near her gunblade, but instead of exiting the freezing water he dove down again, taking one last mental picture before surfacing again. Chaos lurked about thirty feet below him, converging together on the bottom. Without a further glance he turned and gripped the church's floorboards, hauling his wet form out.

Wiping the water from his face and blinking furiously he heard the telltale obnoxious voice of Reno and the sound of footsteps near as he crawled out, absolutely dripping with water.

"What the hell happened here, man?" the Turk exclaimed, kneeling next to Lightning's limp body.

Cloud shook the water from his hair, water droplets dotting his spiky hair. "It's a long story. Look, I don't have a lot of time," he responded quickly before turning to the anxious moogle that buzzed near his ear.

"Is she okay, kupo?"

"I don't know. I can take her back somewhere where she'll be safe, though."

Suddenly Rufus Shinra pushed through his mob of agents. Cloud regarded him with cold eyes.

"What is the meaning of this, Cloud?" Rufus asked.

"I don't have time to explain. I'll be out to Kalm tomorrow," Cloud said before turning to the only female agent in the bunch. He knew she wouldn't ask questions and they had an unspoken trust in each other. "Elena, can you put those other clothes on her? That gunblade goes into her holster I think," he asked softly. "I need to talk to the moogle."

Elena – though surprised at the mention of a moogle – didn't ask questions, as expected. Rufus gathered his men outside of the church as Elena dragged Lightning out, followed by Cloud and Monty. The last two talked quickly.

"Is she dead, kupo?" he asked, alarmed.

Cloud shook his head as he swung his leg over Fenrir's seat. Elena lifted Lightning behind the driver of the bike as her head sagged into the back of Cloud's back. The agent shrugged, but leaned in close to Cloud.

"I don't have any idea what's going on, but the boss is expecting you to be in Kalm tomorrow. Don't disappoint him. You know how he is," she whispered, before giving a parting nod and rejoining the group of Turks.

"Barrett."

The burly man took his cue and climbed into his monstrous truck, revving it to life. Without a backward glance the man had already driven off ahead to tell Tifa of the situation. Cloud did the same, hardly giving Rufus a nod before Fenrir shot off. He was surprised to find the moogle still around as he hung on to the back of Lightning's red cape, strangely silent.

So many things had just happened in the last thirty minutes that even a hardened warrior like Cloud found his mind reeling – along with his freezing body – as Midgar came into sight. Dust kicked up from the wheels of Fenrir, sticking to his black arm covering.

He still didn't understand what was so dangerous about the "chaos" or why Lightning – who had somehow dragged him into this mess – was knocked out cold. Why the pond in the church was suddenly an underground lake. Why some "goddess" he never knew existed was somehow giving power to her. Why a moogle suddenly appeared and seemed to have come along with Lightning. Why their two worlds seemed to have startling similarities.

Why, why, why.

As he entered the very edge of Midgar, winding around passerby, his blue eyes hardened.

He was getting some answers.

* * *

><p><strong>["Paradox" – <strong>_**Final Fantasy XIII-2 **_**OST] **

When Cloud pulled into the alleyway behind 7th Heaven, Barrett's truck was already stationed near the entrance, exhaust pipe still exuding thick, black smoke. Civilians of Edge were already pouring into the bar, laughing and talking merrily at the prospect of Edge's best food and service. Avoiding the crowd would be the best option, so Cloud pulled Fenrir up behind Barrett's truck, rolling the bike steadily into the one-car garage situated on the side until they were out of sight. Standing at the door was Tifa, donned in her usual black leather outfit and sporting her trademark waitress smile, which diminished quickly as she took in the new arrivals. The sound of laughter and obnoxious jokes drifted in from the kitchen, coming to an abrupt halt as Tifa shut the door quickly behind her, bounding down the steps to Cloud.

"Cloud, what – " Her eyes took in Lightning's limp form, eyes closed and moogle at her shoulder. When Mont Blanc's squinted eyes regarded her carefully, announcing his presence Tifa gawked, taken aback. "A...moogle? Who's this?"

Cloud sighed, tired. "Please, Tifa, I'll tell you everything later. Lightning needs healing. Can you do that?"

Mouth still agape she nodded, sensing the slight stress that always downturned Cloud's eyebrows. She wrapped an arm around the pink-haired woman's waist and another around her shoulder, towing her towards the separate door that led directly to the foot of the stairs where they wouldn't be spotted by the diners. "Man the bar for me, will you? Barrett and the kids are already out there," she said without a backward glance.

The moogle, unsure of whom to accompany, followed Cloud, casting one anxious look backwards before they disappeared around the corner.

Tifa's strength as a martial artist allowed her to easily transport the fallen woman into Cloud's bedroom where she laid her down on a thick pile of three bathroom towels. She dished out a heater from the bathroom and placed it so that it blew upwards onto the bed; Tifa hoped it would help dry her faster and warm her. When Lightning was situated Tifa pulled up a chair near the side of the bed and held her hands above Lightning's body, closing her eyes and concentrating deeply. It had been years since her last long healing session like this, but she was pleasantly surprised to open her eyes and witness soft, cerulean bouts of magic flow from her palms and into Lightning.

Sweat formed on her brow and Tifa's hand began to shake. On Lightning's body from the creases of her outfit exuded a black substance in a gaseous state, dissipating when it seemed to come in contact with the cure Tifa was performing.

"What...?"

A large breath heaved in Lightning's chest.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>This was more of an "action"-packed sequence as Lightning begins to realize that she is now more than a l'Cie. Her ability to combat the chaos is a blessing from Etro...but will that gift turn into a curse if she continues to use it in rapid succession? And will did Cloud survive the chaos of Aerith's church? Find out in the next chapter! Ever wondered where I draw inspiration to create WC? From the games below:

-_Journey, Shadow of the Colossus, Bayonetta, _and _The Walking Dead: The Game._

-**WriteFF13**


	11. Edge of the Paradox

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Thanks for the reviews! If you're curious to know where the story is headed-story wise, feel free to ask and I'm happy to explain things or drop a few hints to pique your interest...otherwise, brushing up on a bit of Old Norse mythology would be wise. If you're really cuious as to the ins and outs of this story and where it's headed, go to an unabridged guide to a bunch of my published works! Spoilers are not avoided, though!

.com

"Not in a million years." – Dante, _DmC: Devil May Cry_

**JayneParker**: Thanks for the great reviews! Out of the three characters you mentioned, I can at least tell you two of them will _not _be in this fic...that may change, but for now that's what I can tell ya.

Without further ado, let's get started!

Write on,

**WriteFF13**

* * *

><p><strong>.:WORLDS COLLIDE:. <strong>

_Chapter 11 – Edge of the Paradox _

**["The Goddess Is Dead" – **_**Final Fantasy XIII-2 **_**OST]**

"What's...going on...?" Tifa gasped as she sat back on her heels, wiping sweat away from her brow with a shaky hand. Clasping her hands together, she tried to make sense of the situation, but it was hopeless. She leaned forward and shook Lightning's shoulder, harder and harder until the room suddenly darkened. Tifa froze, eyes wide open as her crimson pupils dilated.

The room suddenly shook, tossing Tifa to the floor as the wooden boards beneath her creaked and rattled, straining under the sudden movement. The room blurred as the world spun around her, flashing white and just as quickly pitching into darkness. Tifa tried to climb to her feet but every attempt was just met with a wave of resistance; she clasped her head in her hands and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push away the unsettling feeling in her stomach.

She was suddenly pitched forward – only narrowly avoiding colliding with the bedpost – but the room had calmed to a rocking motion as Cloud's nightstand toppled over, crashing hard as books and paper spilled onto the floor.

_"Lightning!" _she called, trying to alert her friend. She reached out, but every time she got closer she was only denied as pockets of air around her began to distort.

She whipped her head around as the room began to be dappled by rolling images. Transfixed, she stared into them, witnessing flashes of red and orange. The bed and floor was cast into a red sheen as the images cleared.

Fire licked back at her from the distortions; she backed away until her back hit the door, feeling the rounded doorknob press into her lower back. She could also feel her black gloves in her pockets, but donning them would prove worthless. What was this? What was going on?

Just as she turned to jerk the door open it sprung from the hinges, arching back and nearly catching Tifa on the nose before she jumped back. Cloud's dark form filled the door way as he raced in, sword in hand.

"Cloud!" Tifa exclaimed, relieved.

"Wha...whoa!" he pitched forward, taken off guard by the roller coaster of a room his bedroom had become. "What happened up here? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," she replied quickly, but gestured around her at the distortions of space, a look of alarm on her face. "I was healing Lightning and then this stuff appeared! Is everyone downstairs okay? No one's hurt?"

He shook his head, walking cautiously towards a strange distortion, waving his hand close to it. He hissed when it jerked back, surprised to find that a heat wave surrounded all of the individual distortions. "What the–"

Tifa took his hand in hers and examined it.

The tip of his finger glove was burned through, still hot to the touch as she ran her thumb over it. She released his hand and looked up in shock, understanding what she was witnessing in the distortions. She covered her mouth, eyes furrowing in disbelief. She wanted to race forward to get a better look, to try and make sense of the situation, but her movements were stopped by Cloud, who held her back with one arm.

"Tifa, no!"

"Cloud..." she raised a finger towards the distortion and cast an angry look towards the figure on the bed, who remained still despite the erosion.

"_Tifa._.." he warned.

Through the distortion she could look through the transparent portal and see the exact same room she stood in. The dark paneling on the walls, the floorboards, and Cloud's bed all in the same current location. A second later and it seemed to zoom out, blurred images that were too quick to catch...until the distortion slowed to where Tifa could finally grasp what they were showing her.

What Tifa wasn't ready to see...

"Seventh Heaven..." she choked. "It's burning to the ground."

* * *

><p><strong>["Thermal Shock" – Cliff Lin, <strong>_**Riptide**_** (**_**Tomb Raider**_**)]**

Before she could further be devastated by this new revelation, the moogle she had seen earlier barreled into the room, shrieking so loud Tifa momentarily forgot her tears. She and Cloud turned to him.

"What are you idiots doing s_tanding _here, kupo?!" he shouted, red pom-pom flinging about wildly. He glanced around – only slightly surprised – before his eyes landed on Lightning, whose eyebrows were downturned.

"What – " Tifa started before she was pitched forward, grabbing the edge of a dresser to retain her balance. _"What _is going on?!"

"It's a paradox, kupo! You need to get out of here fast or you're all going to be nothing but space particles, kupo!" he snapped, zooming over to Lightning and attempting to lift her. His little arms strained and he groaned in all his effort, but a 5-pound moogle cannot possibly lift a 120-pound woman.

Without any further hesitation Tifa swept Mont Blanc out of the way and lifted Lightning up, ignoring the moogle's protest as she threw her over her shoulder, pushing aside her own weakness of the knees to protect her friend. Cloud nodded and followed her out the door, casting one look back before slamming the door shut as the house shook beyond the door. A moment later as they made their way downstairs they felt the paradox come to a conclusion as the bar resumed its peace, even if the residents inside were anything _but _at peace.

Diners had jumped to their feet in surprise, knocking over dishes; the sound of nervous voices filled the air until Barrett, sensing Tifa's distress, ordered everyone out. One look at his machine gun and massive size and they were gone, shoving the last bits of food in their pockets before making a quick escape. Marlene and Denzel were standing near the front of the bar towards the window; the boy had his arm on Marlene's shoulder.

"Tifa!" the girl cried, running to her. She looked up at the unconscious Lightning and covered her mouth with her hands. "What happened?! Is she okay?"

"I don't know, sweetie. Just let me take care of things, all right?" She turned to Barrett. "Watch the kids for me, will you? I don't want them in this house until I know it's all right," she said, even as the floor above them shook. However, he nodded and ushered the two out.

Tifa laid Lightning on the couch, propping her head up with a pillow and clearing the table of beer and wine glasses. Cloud helped silently, occasionally glancing upwards at the fallen woman.

Suddenly Monty spoke up. "That was a paradox, kupo."

Tifa froze.

"A...what?"

"A paradox. The timeline is acting up, and when it does, it forms pockets of the future and can suck stuff into them, kupo! If we hadn't gotten out of there, it could've sucked us into another dimension!"

Tifa's eyes widened, the crimson flecks in her eyes brightening. "So you're saying the entire second floor of my house could be gone?"

"Kupo."

"That...was the future...?" Tifa breathed, blinking in surprise.

She turned to Cloud, her eyes glazed and shoulders stiff. She opened her mouth to say something but Cloud cut her off, gesturing towards the set of stairs. "Let's try and go up there. The paradox can't last forever, right?"

As if on cue the tremendous shaking in the bar's foundation faded away to an eerie silence. Tifa's eyes darted from the door to the stairway, but before Cloud could stop her she had strode over and ascended the stairs in a daze. The moogle followed in her wake. Cloud sighed and hefted his sword, crossing his fingers that the paradox hadn't demolished anything. Lightning lay on the couch, still unconscious as the two crept back upstairs.

* * *

><p>Lightning suddenly bolted upwards, eyes snapping open and gasping. Her hands shook as she felt the soft cushions underneath her and realized that she was situated on the couch in Tifa's bar. She examined her clothes to find them dry and all matter of chaotic substance gone. What had happened?<p>

The couch creaked as she swung her legs over the side, bending over to rest her elbows on her knees and rub her eyes hard. Where was Cloud? Monty? Had they gone to the church at all?

_Of course you did! _She mentally smacked herself. _Now's not the time to be second-guessing yourself, Farron. _

"Hmph." Sounds like something Lieutenant Amodar would say.

But she _did _remember the moments before she was knocked out...she, Monty, and Cloud had arrived at the church and met the Turks. Shortly after she crept up to the church and entered it with Monty, leaving Cloud behind because of his vulnerability to the chaos. She had jumped into the pond, vanquished the darkness, and then...?

There was a hazy fog that clouded her mind, creating a barrier between the two timelines that connected to the events at the church and why she now lay on Tifa's couch. She shook her head and stood, resolved to find them and get some answers.

A startled cry came from upstairs; Lightning's eyes darted over to the stairs and she quickly ascended them, heading for Cloud's bedroom. Holding her hand out palm-first (any funny business would be met with _quite _the electrical spark) she pushed the door open, gunblade poised and ready to cut something.

"Lightning!" Tifa cried in relief, turning to see her standing in the doorway. Cloud stood beside her, but was examining something buried in the floor. "Oh, I'm glad you're all right!" Lightning noticed her smile was forced.

The woman waved towards Mont Blanc, who looked rather irritated that Lightning had woken up. The ex-soldier sighed and lowered her hand, scowling.

"Took ya long enough, kupo!" the moogle chimed sarcastically. "You missed your second paradox!"

"What? Another one? Here?"

"Kupo."

She turned to Tifa. "What happened? Is everyone okay?"

The barwoman nodded and gestured to Cloud. "Yeah, thank goodness. We hauled you out of here as soon as the floors started to shake. There was these weird...portals...or something. I looked into them and saw...well, we'll talk about it later."

Lightning nodded and strode to Cloud's side, eyebrows rising in surprise. In place of the bed she had rested on while Tifa attempted to heal her was a massive sword not dissimilar to Cloud's and imbedded deeply into the wooden floorboards of the room, its rusted blade and handle leaving no glint at all in the sunlight. Two holes were bored near the top of the handle, which was a scarlet red in color. She glanced to Cloud, looking for an explanation.

It was Monty who answered. "I forgot to mention before, kupo. The paradox will suck in things from anywhere in any dimension and force them to where a paradox occurs. A reverse effect will happen and suck something back out, spitting it anywhere along the timeline, kupo," Monty explained.

"You know what this is, don't you?" Lightning guessed, reading the surprise that had a hint of familiarity in his expression.

He nodded, gripping the blade firmly and yanking it out.

"The Buster Sword."

Lightning may hav e not been able to read Cloud completely, but there was no denying the sadness in his voice as he spoke those three words. She nodded in understanding, backing away.

Suddenly Tifa chuckled, trying to lighten the serious mood that had overtaken the room.

"Well...at least we know where the bed is!"

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>Yeah, I know it was short, but it seemed like a good place to end the chapter, clear up some questions about the paradoxes of FFXIII-2, and begin the 'Crow's Wail' arc (see my writeff13 website for all chapter arcs). Nonetheless, hope you enjoyed! I'm hoping this was a bit of a surprise!

*In WC, paradoxes aren't so random and unexplained as they were in FFXIII-2 (come on, anything that was weird was immediately a paradox...?!). Here, the timeline is acting up and paradoxes are created randomly, sucking different things from different dimensions and spitting them back out. Here, they were lucky enough (?) that it was only the Buster Sword that had been sucked in...hopefully that'll answer some of your questions. Feel free to PM me with more Qs!

-**WriteFF13**


	12. Confluence

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **We meet a fan favorite of _Final Fantasy VII _and our two heroes' first "confluence". I think you'll enjoy this one; I know I loved writing it! It also helped me get over writer's block I had for a few days… Let me know what you thought in a **review! **Note that there is a lot of dialogue in the beginning, but I still needed to explain a lot of things as Gaia begins to feel the strain of the Chaos. Or chaos. Whichever :D

*References everywhere, kupo!

Write on,

**WriteFF13**

* * *

><p><strong>.:WORLDS COLLIDE:. <strong>

_Chapter 12 – Confluence_

**["L's Theme B" – **_**Death Note**_**]**

If Cloud and Tifa had doubted such a thing as the "timeline" being corrupted, any lasting doubts were quickly vanquished the second they witnessed the paradoxes distorting into Midgar spacetime. Just a few seconds of glimpsing the future and they were believers. As 7th Heaven's owners and Lightning sat across from a table, discussing the future of the world approximately an hour after Midgar's first paradox, there was an underlying tension to the words now, a hurried pace that hadn't accompanied them before. Barrett had taken Marlene and Denzel on a short trip to the Chocobo farm to keep them preoccupied as the trio discussed the fate of Midgar.

_She's seen what the future can bring if Cloud and I don't stop the timeline from crumbling_, Lightning thought, glancing at Tifa before averting her eyes to a glass of water.

Now wasn't a time to be second-guessing anything, but she couldn't help but wonder if enlisting Cloud's help was the best idea...

"We fight it!" Tifa exclaimed, fisting her palm. The crimson in her eyes was noticeable now, a determined glint visible she she leaned forward. Lightning was jerked out of the image of Snow pumping his first in Lake Bresha, a memory that seemed ages old.

The soldier sighed, shaking her head. Her energy was still drained after the dip in the pond earlier that afternoon. "It's not that simple, Tifa. You heard what happened at the church. _I _can fight it. But not you two."

Monty chimed in. "Actually...Cloud showed some sign of resistance ot the darkness, kupo! Don't go feelin' all special!"

Lightning blinked. "...Is that true? How exactly did you get me out anyway?"

"I, uh...carried you. Dove down there and fished you out after you were knocked out..."

"And the chaos did nothing? No disturbance?" Lightning asked in disbelief. "You didn't mention this before. That's something that probably could have helped."

Cloud's eyes narrowed in response, a rare reaction. Though she was startled to receive such a strong response, she met it with her own unflinching gaze.

"You come into my world through a time gate, run off without telling anyone, blast magic in a church, black out and you're surprised about that?" he retorted, leaning back in the scuffed wood chair and crossing his arms.

It took every fiber of her will to keep from lashing back...a gut reaction that was unjustified. He _did _have a point...she just needed to understand his view.

"I..." Lightning sighed in defeat. "You're right. I'm sorry. I must've hit my head in that pond..." She gave a small nod, rubbing her temple.

Cloud accepted it without hesitation with a simple look of his cerulean eyes. At least she was getting a reaction now; perhaps he wasn't so hard to understand; synergizing was vital to the future of the Historia Crux.

"You're sure there's nothing we can do about the chaos?" asked Tifa, exasperated.

Her spikes fell forward as she examined her gloved hands, the same that had drove back the chaos into the pond's abyss. "I'm not sure...as far as I know, there's no concrete way to _stop _it...just, drive it back for awhile. What we need is to find the source of the chaos that's been leaking into this world, get the Historia Crux cleaned up before we can even think about Valhalla again."

"The pond...isn't that where it's coming from?" Cloud said quietly.

"That's where you're wrong, kupo!" Monty interjected. "There's more than one time gate connecting Gaia to the Historia Crux, kupo. But that gate is Scorched."

"What do you mean 'Scorched'?"

"We drained the energy from it, kupo. In other words, that gate is useless unless we have the right Artefact to force it open, breath life back into it, kupo. Don't you people know anything?!"

Lightning rolled her eyes. "We need solutions right now, Monty, not sarcasm. So you're saying if we find a certain Artefact we could open the gate back up for Cloud and I to travel through?"

Cloud had been tapping a finger against a chin until he suddenly leaned forward. "You explained earlier Artefacts can close _and _open time gates, right?"

She glanced up in surprise. "Yeah, I did...you on to something?"

"I think so, but it's not good." Cloud ran a hand through his hair. "Let's say these Artefacts do work like the moogle says. If we open up the time gate in the church, won't that just let even more chaos flow through? This Historia Crux place – whatever it is – could be the source of that stuff coming in and it's already growing like a virus. We can't risk opening that gate again unless we're sure that clean up on the other side is permanent."

Damn. She hadn't thought of that.

"Then we'll just have to find another gate then, huh?" Tifa suddenly said, slapping her hands lightly on the table and standing. As she rummaged in the fridge she spoke over her shoulder. "The moogle said so himself there's more than one gate on our planet. If you two need to do guard duty in Valhalla, there's your one-way ticket to the Realm of the Dead!"

Cloud glanced at Lightning, but she looked away uncomfortably. Neither had yet to explain just how big of a task guarding Valhalla would take...or how long. They nodded and silently agreed to discuss it later.

_Progress... _

"When I mean all over Gaia I literally meant _all _over! You saw how that gate was hidden...trying to find another would take years, kupo! We don't have that much time!"

"If we can't use the time gate in the church we have to find another one leading to Valhalla. What are the odds that another time gate is here that leads directly to the Historia Crux?" Lightning asked.

"There's no way to tell, kupo."

"What?" she breathed in disbelief. "The gates...there's no way to tell where they end up? We could land in an alternate dimension with no idea where we _are_?!"

"Do I need to say it again, kupo?"

Lightning put her head in her hands and sighed in frustration. Things were not going as planned. First they had learned the time gate in church couldn't be opened, then extra Artefacts would needed to be retrieved to open any alternate time gates. On top of _that_ revelation, there was no way to tell which time gate lead where.

"There are still thousands of people out there with the Stigma! We need to focus on clearing the pond as soon as possible so we can get them in and get them healed. I don't want to be responsible for that if we can stop it," Tifa said.

A silence settled over the room as three individual minds brainstormed for a possible solution. Cloud cleared his throat and the two women looked over.

"Let's start with what we know and what we _can _do about it."

"Right..." Lightning said, fiddling with her gloves. "Monty, is there a way to stop the paradoxes from occurring, or even predicting where they will occur? We could warn the people of Edge, make sure no one is alone in case another pops up here."

"Sometimes, kupo...Mog never explained much, that jerk...but where a lot of chaos has broken out before, then it could draw the timeline there and cause a paradox. It all depends, kupo!"

"What do you mean 'chaos'?"

"A tragedy where a ton of people have died or something catastrophic happened...ya know...chaotic, kupo!" the moogle chimed, patting his pom-pom absently. "No pun intended, kupo."

Tifa sighed. "Great...so anywhere in Midgar basically?"

"We can't just clear everyone out...like Lightning said, we'll just have to take precautions and alert everyone of the possible dangers," Cloud said. "And Rufus could probably help..."

The brunette's eyes widened. "...Are you sure, Cloud? I mean, the Turks don't have to help..."

Cloud shook his head. "No...it's time I got over it. If Rufus wants to help the people so much, then this is what he can do. I'll contact the WRO as soon as I can, maybe send Barrett as a rep."

"You know," Lightning mused, "this just might work with a bit of organization. They keep your neighbors and friends safe while we do the dirty work."

"You're forgetting that we have no freaking clue what to do, kupo!" Monty squeaked, hovering close to Lightning's face. She quickly smacked him away and he was sent sailing over the counter, crashing into a pan. Tifa giggled as she went to retrieve him, legs kicked ferociously.

"Rufus and the Turks are interested in helping the people...keeping them safe...a long time ago they screwed a lot of things up...but it's different now. But if we're going to get anyone on our side, people need to know what happened."

Lightning's smirk faded. More talking to people that would view her as some alien being that had brought the chaos along with the obnoxious moogle. She had noticed their guarded looks of distrust; then she hadn't blamed them, thinking it wasn't a big deal if she never ran into them anyway. Putting things in perspective, though, changed her mind completely. Speaking _to _them wouldn't be hard. Hell, she could write up a "Complete and Unabridged Guide to Lightning Farron's Messed Up Life" and there would be no other questions asked. Earning their trust, however, was an entirely different task.

"I can do that," she answered solemnly. Tifa flashed a smile and pinched Monty's foot.

"Ready to come out now?" she asked sweetly.

"Lemf muh oug heh, pupoh!" the moogle mumbled, his face buried in a pan of left over spaghetti. Lightning appreciated the ease of tension and allowed herself to chuckle as Tifa slowly lifted him up, leaning forward.

"What was that?"

Monty huffed, spitting out a meatball and wiping sauce off his previously white fur.

"Would you kindly, kupo?"

"That's better."

A thought occurred to Lightning then. "What about your customers? What did you tell them?"

"Oh, they'll understand. These people have seen much worse than a shaking house. Besides, they can't resist coming back! You watch, they'll be back for breakfast tomorrow before the sun even rises!"

"Tch." She turned back to Cloud. "Okay. We talk to your friends, I try and convince the citizens what's happening, work on permanently clearing the chaos from the church, and work on finding another time gate."

"As good of a plan as any," he muttered, taking a sip of his water. The sun still shone brightly in the sky, though it was tinged by a soft overlay of pink as afternoon began to slip by. Cleaning up the numerous furniture that had fallen in Cloud's room had taken time as Barrett explained what was going on to the irritated customers. Most had received their money back, much to Tifa's dismay. She had explained to Lightning that their main source of income came from 7th Heaven and a loss like the day they had experienced put them behind bills _fast_. Lightning apologized profusely after learning Tifa would probably have to open up the bar all weekend to make up for both the cost of the food that had been wasted when the customers fled and the money she had given back.

"Main?" Lightning inquired.

The barwoman's perfect eyebrows rose in surprise. "Oh, Cloud didn't tell you? Well, he's in charge of the Strife Delivery Service we have here at the bar. After everything that happened her in Midgar, communication and fast transportion was hard to come by, so Cloud volunteered to carry people's belongings and messages around the world. Soon it became what it is now – a service available to anyone and any_where_."

"Interesting..." she mused. "So he's a delivery boy, huh?"

Tifa giggled, muffling the noise with the back of her hand. Her brown eyes sparkled. "You could say that."

As the two waited Cloud to descend the stairs, Lightning helped Tifa with the lunch dishes, thinking quietly to herself.

"I never got to thank you properly for patching me up back there," Lightning said quietly, still peeved at her stage of uselessness from the dip in the pond.

Tifa dismissed the apology with a wave of her hand. "Don't mention it. Around here, we've got your back!"

"Huh. So I noticed." Lightning glanced over to Cloud (who had since emerged from the second floor with his swords strapped across his back) wondering what had driven him to save her in the first place, let alone believe her entire story so easily.

"You know, that paradox gave me quite the scare," Tifa mused, scrubbing at a crusted piece of food stuck to a glass plate. "I wasn't sure what it was or where it was coming from. When that moogle zoomed in and told me that it could suck us in to some other dimension, I think that's when things started to click."

"What do you mean?"

Tifa smiled apologetically. "I'll be honest...a lot of your story was pretty far-fetched...I wasn't so sure you were telling the truth about 'time gates' and goddess, timelines, and other dimensions being available through one long tunnel or whatever."

Lightning snorted. "I hardly believe it myself. What I'm telling you is true, though."

"I think I know that now...and with you and Cloud on the job, Rufus helping on his own front, I think you're right – this might just work, don't you think? I mean, just the customers themselves would probably like to know what happened, and we can explain that. Rufus will come around. That man knows a little bit of everything going on around here!"

Lightning's icy blue eyes hardened.

"You okay, Lightning?" Tifa asked, wiping her hands on a towel and straightening her skirt-shorts combo.

"Call me Light," she said in response, allowing herself to smile just a bit.

It was forced, but an effort nonetheless.

Tifa's crimson eyes blinked in surprise. "Light, huh?"

"Yeah."

The two worked quietly until the room was cleaned and spotless until they heard the garage in the back begin to stutter open. Cloud's head popped around the back door and he nodded before retreating again, revving Fenrir's engine. Lightning sighed and stuffed her own weapon firmly into the holster it fit so snugly into.

"Well...that's my cue," the pink-haired soldier muttered, striding past the counter.

"Hey, be careful all right? That paradox...it's dangerous. I didn't get to experience it for myself, thank goodness, but from what Monty said it sounds like it could...potentially kill anyone."

Lightning's hand was clasped firmly on the doorknob.

"No promises."

With that, she twisted the doorknob open and stepped outside, shutting the door a little louder than necessary. Outside, Tifa could hear her two friends conversing quietly. The bar seemed lonely without the presence of the kids.

The woman in black bit her lip and picked up the kitchen phone, dialing a number hurriedly.

* * *

><p><strong>["Paradox" – <strong>_**Final Fantasy XIII-2 **_**OST] **

"Are you sure you want to come?" Cloud asked apprehensively as he mounted the bike, glancing up as he fiddled with the ignition. Just outside the boundaries of 7th Heaven, people were once again milling about in alleyways, making their way to-and-from work or home.

"I'm fine. It was a one-time thing, I'm sure," Lightning reassured, though to herself more than him. She quickly hopped on the bike side-saddle once again, though she laid her gunblade across her thighs this time.

"But we pushed back the chaos," he pointed out quietly, slowly backing the bike out in the alleyway. He nodded to several passerby, though their cautious eyes were trained on the pink-haired ex-soldier situated behind him. She did her best to look relatively friendly.

"For now."

Cloud nodded in agreement and donned his sunglasses, pushing them on with two gloved fingers. "The trip is going to be dusty..." he warned. Traffic convoluted the streets as Fenrir swerved in and out of the maze of cars. Lightning looked on in awe.

"No problem..." she mumbled, staring at a large vehicle that was balanced on four large tires, puffing out thick, black exhaust and roaring angrily as it raced around them.

Midgar was nothing like Cocoon had been, that was for sure. The orange flares of Phoenix – an artificial yet adequate light that had lit Cocoon from the inside – had bathed the inside world in a warm glow. Cities like Eden and Palumpolum were splashed with color, life...even Bodhum's postcard beaches were always spouting color. Exiting the city only made Lightning wonder why Cloud's world was the complete opposite.

They abandoned the last clusters of buildings and once more entered into the Wasteland, zooming for the horizon on their own road. Not another dust cloud could be seen. Lightning leaned forward and raised her voice. "Where are we going?"

She was under the impression they were immediately heading to see – what was his name? – ah, Rufus. The guy who had sent a group of skilled agents after her...right. Cloud didn't respond. Exasperated, Lightning laid a hand on his left shoulder pad and leaned further forward, squinting her eyes as a wall of dust smacked into her face, wind whipping her pink hair back and forth.

"Cloud!"

"You'll see when we get there," he responded shortly, and that was that.

"Barrett already swung by to pick up the bed?"

"..."

As soon as they arrived, coughing buckets of dust and wiping their carefully maintained spikes, Cloud and Lightning made the trek up the side of a precipice, jumping between jutted spikes and boulders with ease. Cloud had swerved the bike to a tight stop at the base of the rocks, grinding his boot in the ground as Lightning was jerked forward with the momentum, stepping off the bike unsteadily. When she turned to frown at him she only received an apologetic shrug.

Her annoyance was momentarily forgotten as Cloud clicked open the side compartments, producing the rusted blade that had replaced Cloud's bed. He grasped it firmly and snapped it to the powerful magnets strapped across his back. Lightning crossed her arms and looked on silently. The Buster Sword's wide blade easily stood taller than most average men!

"So this is where the other paradox popped up, huh?" Lightning wondered, leaning back to take in the rocky outcrop.

"Up there." He pointed, and they were off.

As they jumped, climbing higher and higher, it soon became clear that this was something akin to a test to measure her endurance. By the time they reached the top overlook, she hadn't even broken a sweat. As she gripped the edge, digging her fingers into the dried dirt, she happened to look over her shoulder.

* * *

><p><strong>["Nascence" – <strong>_**Journey **_**OST]**

"Huh." It was all she could say as she gazed over miles of sun-scorched land.

In the setting sun, Edge had been swathed in pink and orange lightwaves by the dying rays of the sun, casting long shadows over the very beginning of the Wasteland miles away from their current positioning. A slight wind rocked her body and she quickly jumped up, turning to admire the view, smiling contentedly. As she turned, though, a burst of flower petals flew into her face...and her mouth. The moment of tranquility vanished as she pried yellow flower petals and buds from her pink spikes and even spitting out one. Cloud stood with his Buster Sword penetrating the ground and standing among a collection of yellow flowers. They gathered in a particular spot beneath his feet. She peered through the mess to find Cloud staring at her, seemingly not bothered he had aroused the sleeping floral bouquet beneath him. His cerulean eyes blinked in surprise at her again.

Or rather, _behind _her.

"What is – " she started, but her words were lost to memory as she whirled, pink spikes whipping across her face.

"Whoa..." She inhaled sharply.

Hundreds of flower petals, goldenrod and the purest white in the universe soared from the cliffside, being embraced by the passing winds and gliding through the air in a dance neither Cloud nor Lightning had ever witnessed before. They squinted to see with the sun in their eyes, shading the harsh rays. Oval in shape and soft as cotton, the petals twirled and whirled through the air, moving farther and farther away until they began to become a speck on the horizon in a complex rhythm and pattern. Time seemed to stop in that very moment of awe.

Had the circumstances been any different, Lightning would have scoffed at the thought. Cloud came to her side, his face content for once. No lines of stress...no worrying...

It was one of those rare moments where you could just _enjoy _the world around you.

"Welcome to Midgar."

* * *

><p><strong>["Alive Inside" – <strong>_**The Walking Dead: The Game **_**OST]**

"Are we ready?" Lightning asked quietly, absentmindedly playing with her pendant. "There's not a lot of daylight left..."

"Just give me a sec," Cloud responded, staring hard at the Buster Sword. Lightning had taken up post at the cluster of rock just a few feet behind man and sword, giving him space.

Who did the sword belong to? How in the world were flowers growing at the top of a cliff in a Wasteland of all places? Lightning sighed and pushed off of the rock, striding to his side and peering down at the blade embedded in the rock. In the lasting hours of daylight the large sword held a sort of pride to it. Rusted and dusty as it was, Lightning couldn't help but feel it belonged to a warrior. She glanced over to find Cloud's hand resting on the marred handle, eyes closed and his face open to the sun.

Lightning may not have been in the Guardian Corps anymore, but she was still a soldier at heart.

"This sword belonged to someone, didn't it?" she said slowly.

His eyes snapped open in surprise. Yet he didn't respond just yet, instead opening his gloved hand. In it was a single, white petal. In one swift motion he tossed it into the air, watching it sail away on the invisible winds.

"It...belonged to my closest friend."

Lightning cast her eyes to the ground. "Oh."

"He died here, protecting me years ago..." Cloud explained, eyes hard. His grip on the handle tightened. "He took hundreds of bullets head-on...there was nothing I could do...he left me this. To remember him...and maybe even remember a part of myself."

"What was his name?" she prompted.

Cloud exhaled slowly.

"Zack Fair."

"Tifa said earlier you were in the military..." said Lightning, wondering why Cloud had cut her off so suddenly.

"Yeah...Zack was in the military, too. Tifa told you most of the story...things went wrong and...Zack risked his life to save mine. He was the best SOLDIER there was," Cloud said, his voice now firm.

"I'm sorry," she offered, and stepped forward.

"...?"

Her right arm was out in front of her, palm parallel to the ground. In one swift motion she drew her right arm to her left shoulder, tapping it once. She closed her eyes and bowed slightly, nodding towards the sword. He immediately understood: she was offering a solemn salute to a fallen soldier. Cloud didn't object when she backed away and leaped over the edge of the precipice, leaving him alone to his thoughts. Below he heard a muffled thump and the sound of leather as she leaned against the bike.

"Hey, bud."

In response, the flowers swishing around the blade seemed to whistle softly. For all he knew, he might have imagined it.

"Sorry your sword was messed up today...I know you liked to keep it polished, but, uh...some strange things have been going on."

He never got a response and he never expected to. But on this edge of the precipice he felt Zack's presence the strongest, where he felt the warmth of his friend's hand on his shoulder as he led him to safety. And there were memories of good times, laughing, joking about immature things and making fun of each other's towns, snickering about the adults in authority, racing chocobos through fields and mountains alike...

With a grit of his teeth Cloud blocked the next images from appearing. He knew if he let them, the harsh memories of pain and death would bog his mind, dash the good times he remembered. Finally he lifted his hand from the blade and stepped back, eyes combing over the beauty of Zack's Buster Sword.

"Don't worry about the church...I've got it under control..."

Before he, too, jumped over the edge he spoke one more time.

"I'll be back, I promise."

Free-falling to the ground below, Cloud wasn't so sure who we was reassuring.

* * *

><p>Lightning looked up to find Cloud's dark form soaring through the air, his arms held out to his side as he dropped hundreds of feet. He landed with a soft <em>thump <em>and a poof of dust. He unfolded from his crouch, gazing at Lightning with a newfound respect before unloading his own Fusion Swords into Fenrir. He nodded at her as she hopped on.

"About what happened back there–" he began, but she cut him off.

"You don't have to explain anything. I understand."

"..."

His hand inched towards the ignition, but he hesitated.

"Hey...we're even. All right?"

A truce. To Lightning's ears, it sounded a lot like _trust_.

She smiled sadly and looked down at her gunblade, reading the words etched into the side. Words were meaningless.

"Let's go."

There was nothing more to be said as they shot off, pink and gold intermixing on the deceiving mirages of the desert.

* * *

><p><strong>["For the Reunion" – <strong>_**Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children **_**OST] **

The trip to Rufus Shinra's previous hideout in Healin Lodge was quick and uneventful. Fenrir maintained a steady pace as they zoomed down a one-lane road, passing a disheveled sign bearing a list of names. Among them was "Chocobo Farm." Before Lightning could wonder where the farm was, Cloud had pulled in beneath a small building off to the side of the forked road. Around them, grass and trees gently rustled. Goosebumps dotted Lightning's arms as the sun continued to sink on the horizon. Among the parked bike was Barrett's truck and a handful of dark vehicles with shaded tinted windows.

_Great, _Lightning thought, remembering their formal style from their visit to the church. _More Turks. _

"How many people are here?" Lightning asked quietly, wary of the security camera trained above the steel door as they ascended the wooden stairs. The building in front of them was circular on the outside and overlooked a rushing river just below.

"Rufus and his men, Barrett, Tifa, and a few other friends."

_More introductions... _

"In other words, I have a lot of explaining to do?" she guessed.

"..."

Slowly he pushed the door open and stepped inside, closing it behind Lightning as she cautiously entered, standing tall. The inside was extremely dimly lit and the blinds offered little in the way of natural lighting. As expected, Rufus and his Turks were gathered around a coffee table as Barrett, Tifa and the kids sat in the opposite side of the room, accompanied by a man Lightning had yet to meet.

"Lightning!" Marlene waved from Tifa's lap.

She and Cloud separated as Lightning made her way through the Turks, meaning to regroup with the crew. However, a certain red-haired Turk popped into view, holding a glass of wine. Her lips tightened into a frown.

"Oh, hey, it's you again!" the Turk exclaimed. "How ya been, Lightnin'?"

_What's his name again...? _

"You remember me, right? I never got to introduce you to my buddy over here," the man – Reno – said before towing her over to the gruff man Lightning had spotted from afar.

He was more intimidating in person than she remembered...standing at over six feet tall, the Turk's eyes were shaded by a pair of dark sunglasses – why he was wearing them inside was anybody's guess – and rings pierced his ears. Unable to move away, she stuck her hand out.

"Lightning."

Suddenly Reno slapped him on the back and chuckled – if not a bit stupidly – and leaned towards Lightning. "That's Rude. He don't talk much, ya know?"

"I wonder why..." Lightning muttered, one eye narrowing slightly. When Reno turned to Rude, she quickly vanished back into the crowd, making her way to Tifa.

Tifa and Marlene were giggling behind their hands as she approached. With an amused smile, Lightning blurted, "What?"

"Reno _likes_ you!" the little girl teased, laughing at Lightning's annoyed expression.

Barrett shook his head at the two and turned back to survey the crowd of black. There had to be at least ten of Rufus's men stuffed in the entire room. Cloud was talking quietly to Rufus on the side as wine and food was passed around. Marlene eyed her father's glass of liquor but he caught her eye with an expectant look. She smiled innocently and instead reached for her own glass of water.

"That guy likes _any _girl he sees, don't worry 'bout it. Hey, can we get a light on in here?" Barrett yelled over the ruckus.

Lightning nodded and slid in next to Tifa as the Turks began to flatten themselves against the wall, making way for Rufus as he took center-stage in the middle of the room. Denzel – who Lightning hadn't noticed before, appeared and whispered something in Tifa's ear, who jumped in surprise. As Rufus began to drawl about rebuilding the world, a peculiar man approached their table slowly as murmurs drowned out the surrounding noise. No one had noticed him as he blended in with the shadows of the dark room.

"Oh, I forgot!" Tifa exclaimed, smacking her head. The figure, dressed in the oddest clothes Lightning had seen, peered down at her with startling golden eyes.

"Light, meet Vincent Valentine!"

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>Mwahahaha! And so I end it there for now, my friends! Cliffhanger! Thanks for your patience and get ready for a round of, uh…(how should I put it nicely)...a difference of opinions next chapter...if you enjoyed, please take a second to tell me what you thought whether good or bad via **review! **Even if it takes me awhile I always respond to your guys' reviews!

There are a ton of references here from other games, and if you spot them, well...you're awesome. The flower part was partly inspired by thatgamecompany's _Flower _game, but the scene also stemmed from, of course, Aerith's church flowers, and how they flew from beneath Zack's sword in FFVII:AC. Nonetheless, it's a beautiful scene in my mind and I hope I got it right.

And finally, I picked "Confluence" as the chapter name for a few reasons...if you know the definition, you'll understand. If you don't...go look it up!

-**WriteFF13**


	13. Heart of Sin

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **A lot of arguing ahead, folks. Read and **review**, tell me what you liked or didn't like!

As for how long this took, I also took into consideration how good or bad the last chapter did in terms of reviews (not the reviews themselves, but amount) and figured about more than three weeks would be adequate for the length of this particular one. Then, a crapload happened, by laptop went down, and I got behind on my job – which, if you're currently working, you know that is your number one priority. I've discovered a talent for AMVs, so I've also been forfeiting writing time for that as well; so I do apologize, but I had a lot going on. Like I've said before, I'm never going to abandon this story!

Thanks for all past reviews!

**Cloud's Theme: **"Safe and Sound" - Kyouske Himuro and Gerald Way

Write on,

**Cranberry Knight-XIII**

* * *

><p><strong>.:<span>WORLDS COLLIDE<span>:. **

_Chapter XIII – Heart of Sin_

**[**"Lead Me Home" – Jamie N. Commons**] **

It was the second day that a storm had clouded the skies of Gaia, Tifa had said as rain began to slam against the dark lodge. The meeting had quieted momentarily as the inhabitants quirked their eyebrows at the sound of raindrops steadily pattering on the roof, the creek below the lodge rushing faster.

Behind Lightning and Tifa's head was a window covered with blinds, closed tightly. Using two fingers, Lightning turned her head and peeled them apart, peering outside uneasily. Marlene clambered over Tifa's lap to look, smiling when she saw the rain beginning to pour down in buckets. The glass Lightning's fingers were pressed against grew cool to the touch.

A sudden crack of lightning lit the sky, coating the landscape in a flash of white before dissipating again, its purple dagger retracting once again before either could catch another glimpse. Marlene gasped in surprise.

"1...2...3..."

She didn't get far before a growl of thunder boomed, vibrating through the air with power. The wind outside slammed a tree against the side and the small gathering of trees below them following the creek howled in protest as they bowed over, as if in offering to the electric sparks.

Lightning remembered a time where she and Serah had once counted the seconds before thunder boomed back on Cocoon when it rarely rained.

It wasn't the type of rain that encouraged children to run out and play, splash in puddles and dance in the rain, however.

"There's a storm coming..." muttered Lightning, bright eyes squinting through the rain-splattered window.

Marlene suddenly tugged on her arm, holding a finger to her lips. Lightning quickly turned her attention to Rufus, who had once again silenced everyone and was raking his eyes across the room, asserting his authority. Cloud sat behind him and to the side, leaning against a small counter.

She locked eyes with him, her head ever-so-slightly nodding.

He understood.

"One month has passed since our planet was plagued by Geostigma," began Rufus Shinra, his tone quiet, yet powerful.

Rufus continued on. "...We have gathered our resources to help rebuild our world, where we must trust and depend on each other, giving a helping hand to our fellow neighbors..._whenever _it is needed or requested."

The Turks' heads lifted up, jaws set. Even Barrett and Tifa started to listen intently.

_What happened before I came here? _Lightning wondered.

"However, the fight isn't over. You witnessed what took place at the Sector 7 church, the strange darkness exuding out of the building. I know you have questions. I can't give you the answers, but I know someone who can," Rufus said, promptly taking a seat and nodding to Cloud.

The said man quickly pushed away from the dark corner he had previously inhabited, taking his place where Rufus had spoken. Moods shifted and the air of apprehension vanished. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it was almost like...

"Thank you for coming today," Cloud began quietly, addressing the entire room in low tones. The ex-soldier wasn't comfortable talking to large crowds, that much was obvious.

Suddenly the answer appeared before here, in the faces of the Turks.

_Respect. _

"I don't have a lot to say about what's been going on these past two days, but my people have a plan, and it's going to work. Carrying it out is a different deal," Cloud explained.

Another flash of lightning went off in the distance.

Lightning's eyes flicked to the window, eyes unblinking and staring out across the stream. There was nothing but wasteland as soon as the creek wrapped around the side of the cliff to the right of the lodge. The night's darkness thickened the air, making it near impossible to see farther than a quarter of a mile.

"You saw the darkness surrounding the church...the very same place that heals people with the Stigma. We can't risk bringing in people to the church with the threat of that darkness still lurking at the bottom. Last time, we temporarily–"

"What is it, anyway? This...'darkness' stuff," chirped a young, blonde Turk, cocking her head in interest. "Why don't you let _her _tell us herself? Isn't that what _she_'s here for?"

The blonde blinked in surprise, before reluctantly looking to Lightning. The Turks' heads followed his line of sight, regarding her with unimpressed looks. She knew them well.

_All eyes on me, huh? _

Out of the mix of brown, black, and blonde heads was the girl, still sneering at her indignantly. Lightning estimated her to be about twenty two, maybe younger. Yet she knew judging the girl would be folly – clearly, anyone who belonged to Rufus's group of "Turks" was experienced in their field. This was no time to start a fight.

"She mute or some–?"

"It's Lightning." She stood, pushing herself up from the table and suddenly rising above Tifa and Marlene's heads.

"W-What...?"

She strode forward, jutting her hand out in front firmly with a steely glint in her blue orbs. Tall, proud, and strong. Or, at least, that's what Serah told her whenever she assumed her "military stance." The younger Turk's gaping mouth closed with a snap of her teeth; her cheeks reddened considerably. Nonetheless, she reached forward and gripped Lightning's hand, putting a finger to her chin. Her lips stretched into a forced smile, a last-ditch effort to redeem her previous behavior. No one in the room had expected _that._

"Lightning Farron." The soldier made sure to squeeze firmly, asserting she was no delivery boy's sidekick.

* * *

><p><strong>[<strong>"Beast – Acoustic" – _Nico Vega_**]**

"Alia Zaidelle...uh, sorry about before," she said through a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "We don't get many outsiders around here, ya know? I just don't get why you want to help us."

Just_ an outsider, huh?_

"I'm here to help your planet restore balance."

"Yeah. We'll see about that," the girl muttered, taking a seat.

_Okay_, Lightning thought, shooting her a critical glance. _Now I'm even more singled out. Great. _

As she took center-court, Marlene flashed a bright smile and thumbs-up. Tifa gave an encouraging nod. Even so, she had nearly an entire room to convince what she had seen and experienced was the real deal...that _she _was the only one who could offer a solution. Take or leave.

"I'm Lightning, and thank you for hearing me out. I come from a world that you...may not understand. A few days ago, my friends and took down an entity that was decaying our world – "

"Been there, done that, eh?" Zaidelle snickered. No other Turk in the room even acknowledged her.

"...We lost two friends, but the event triggered a chain reaction. These occurrences are called 'paradoxes.' A goddess – Etro – brought me...to her own separate dimension –...it's becoming swallowed by chaos, a dark energy existing in..."

_Your realm. _

A sudden pain coursed through her chest, causing Lightning to automatically bite down on her lip to keep from shouting aloud in surprise, her breath hitching in her chest. This time, the voice was clearer. A whisper of encouragement, soft in tone and barely audible sounded deep in her mind. If wind could whisper, it would be akin to what Lightning was hearing. She looked up to find the group waiting expectantly, confused expressions staring back at her. The sharp ache in her chest throbbed for a second more, then ceased once again. When she lifted her fingers to find the source of the ache, they led to her heart.

"...Valhalla, the Realm Beyond Time," she quickly added, recovering from the momentary relapse. "I was transported there shortly after all of this happened. Two moogles soon explained what has been happening to Etro's Realm. In it, the chaos surrounds the mainland, slowly drowning out all light. Without Valhalla and without Etro, death and life will merge together, time will come to a standstill, and _both _of our worlds will be rocked with paradoxes."

The pain began to subside within seconds, to the soldier's relief.

"And why should we be so worried about these so-called 'paradoxes?'" Zaidelle wondered aloud, her eyes staring off into space until they came back to rest on Lightning.

"These _so-called_ paradoxes can occur at any time where tragedy and destruction has taken place. Basically, anywhere where the timeline could have experienced a violent change that wasn't supposed to happen. Cloud and the others told me about Meteor – I may not know everything about the events prior to that, but what I do know is that where Meteor nearly destroyed everything is right smack in the middle of a bustling city. If a paradox were to suddenly pop up without warning in the town square, it could potentially suck all of those people, spitting them out into entirely different worlds, even dimensions...and what might come spitting back in could also be a problem," Lightning finished, looking Alia dead in the eye. The pain had faded completely, but she was still worried in the back of her mind.

"I see."

"The chaos is an entirely different problem. It doesn't have a solid shape, and can move about freely. At this point, it's impossible to tell what's controlling it," she drifted off.

"You mentioned a goddess. Etro. Are we sure _she _isn't the enemy here? What if she's the one controlling the chaos?" asked a young Turk to her right. A pair of glasses balanced on his nose, though he seemed to be looking over them at her, as his head was pointed towards the carpeted floor.

"The goddess saved us from crystal stasis after we took down the fal'Cie – mech-like gods – controlling my world. By doing that, it opened up a paradox to suck me into Valhalla. Her power has been nearly sucked dry and even now, her Realm is up for grabs. I don't know if there are other deities out there we have to worry about, but for now, the focus is on the chaos. It's malevolent, dangerous, and has a mind of its own.

"From what I understand myself, the chaos is a dark energy blessed to all humans from the goddess. Our hearts are essentially a part of the chaos. This energy has overtaken Valhalla, stripping it completely of time. When I first woke up on the shores there, every footstep was like an infinite amount of lifetimes, every breath seemed to go on for weeks." Lightning laughed dryly. "For all I know, I could be 30 right now."

The same Turk rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If this goddess crafted the chao in of all of us, why hasn't it taken over our own hearts and just killed us from the inside?"

The ex-soldier crossed her arms, glancing outside for a few brief seconds as another flash of lightning lighted the room. "I wish I could answer that, but I can't.

"However, I can tell you this. Etro means only good; I sensed it in her when traversing her Realm. When I awoke from crystal stasis, a sort of warmth was in my heart...all of my comrades had to have felt it."

The man is a sharp one, Lightning thought. He proceeded to interrogate her. "Perhaps it is my imagination, but you have spoken of this goddess alternatively as the 'Goddess of Death.' Her realm also seems to be a dark world. Should we not be alarmed of such as world as this harboring the energy you speak of, that filled the church...chaos? A research team would be in order, don't you think?" he asked quietly. His dark eyes intelligently scrutinized her face.

Lightning sighed. "No ordinary being can travel through the Historia Crux without every atom in your body separating and being divided among dimensions. Cloud and I have a sort of gift that allows us to travel at will through the threads of the timeline. I reached your world from Valhalla in mere minutes. It's far-fetched, but the face of truth," she answered. "I don't know the goddess personally; I have only felt her presence, her encouragement. Cloud and I are only strong enough to guard her Realm as her power weakens."

"And if the power depletes?" the man questioned. "All good things must come to an end."

"Then we will deal with that when the time comes," she answered easily.

"Hmm..." he muttered, but sat back quietly without another word.

Now was the time for the grand finale. She had to convince these people she was on their side. So far, 7th Heaven had her back. Having Rufus' Turks at her side would be even more comforting.

"Look, I know I'm a stranger here, and I know I've intruded on pasts that everyone here isn't proud of..." she said, deliberately making eye contact with each person in the room. "The moogle that came along with me knows a lot about the problem, what the chaos is and capable of doing, and what we can do to stop it. My family and my friends are also in danger, just like all of us. I want to get rid of the chaos as fast as possible, just as much as you."

She glanced over to Cloud, who nodded.

"I need your help to purge the chaos from this Planet forever...and to do that, we have to work together. It's not going to be easy, and you'll be in danger. But we all have a stake in this.

The Turks nodded in agreement.

"I can't do this on my own, so I'm asking you now...fight _with_ me," she said, hitting the last three words home.

This time, she saw a spark of determination in the Turks' eyes...a chance for redemption. Finally, her honesty and determination had reached them. Smiles, smirks, grins, and everything else in between graced the faces of the Turks, but only Marlene and Tifa's million dollar smiles were the brightest in the room as they clapped enthusiastically. It seemed as though the entire room moved forward to shake Lightning's hand, a newfound respect showing in their firm grips and all of it, genuine. Maybe some still didn't trust her, but that was okay.

They'll come around, Lightning hoped. They have to.

Unfortunately, dreams of a perfectly united force fighting the chaos together came to a screeching halt.

* * *

><p><strong>[<strong>"Choose A Way to Die" – _Final Fantasy Type-0_**]**

Ten minutes later, the raging storm outside seem tamed compared to the intense heat that had since exploded inside of the lodge; Lightning wasn't sure who she should take her chances with: a relatively short man with a face as a red as a volcano, or possibly jumping in the creek below, only to be electrocuted by lightning should it hit the water.

_Then again_, Lightning thought, _it _would _be cruel irony to be killed by a lightning strike…_

The explosions of shouts and bursting veins had begun with the simple words of Rufus Shinra, just moments after her own small victory. The discussion had since drifted to an immediate plan of action…what was going to be done about the impending chaos intruding into the church?

Lightning didn't know everything about Cloud's past...but she knew there had been pain and suffering. He had lost someone important to him and that very fact traveled with him even if he didn't know it himself; the one thing Cloud couldn't conceal was revealed in his strange, cerulean eyes, like a shadow of the past engrained in his irises.

What she saw in Cloud was in indeed...a reflection of herself.

Lightning sighed and looked up to find Cloud clenching his fists tightly, shaking his head in outrage; Tifa had since stood, trying to calm him down to no avail. To be honest, the only other time she had ever witnessed so much raw emotion from him was when he confronted her in his bedroom...

"Rufus, that option is off the table." Cloud's eyes seemed to glow with renewed energy.

"We must consider it. Your friend here explained just moments ago that the chaos will once again surface inside of the church and continue to grow if we do not attempt to contain it–"

Lightning stabbed a finger in between the men. "Correction: you cannot physically 'contain' the chaos. Only I have the power to somewhat fight it back, and we all know how that worked out," she interjected.

The man hardly listened before continuing.

"–Or destroy it. _Permanently_," Rufus stated calmly. "You know we have the ability to create an explosive that could demolish the object beneath the waters easily, stemming the flow of this foreign energy."

In other words, blow the church and the underwater time gate to smithereens.

"Really, I see no better alternative at this point. You say you need a type of Artefact to seal the gate...but how long will it take to locate the object?"

"It doesn't matter. We can find it within a few days," Cloud snapped, looking to Lightning for confirmation. Her expression was doubtful.

"Cloud, you can't be serious," Rufus scoffed, gesturing to Tifa and the kids behind Cloud. "Perhaps you and your friend do find this Artefact, but after many weeks. Your stubbornness could cost you and your family. We do not have the ability to wield these strange powers of light your comrade does–"

Although she had remained quiet for most of the argument – bar a few hushed whispers to calm Cloud – Tifa now lashed out at Rufus, her eyes annoyed. So the church was dear to them both, Lightning figured.

"Lightning. Her name is Lightning, not just _your friend, your comrade, her _or_ she_...she's _our _friend and without her, Cloud might have died back in the church and we wouldn't know how to deal with this. So please, let's think this through in a short while after we've all calmed down," Tifa snapped, laying a gentle hand on Cloud's shoulder. She gave Lightning a tight smile.

Rufus blinked, but quickly recovered, clearing his throat. "...Yes, we should...however, we cannot rule out every solution unless we have looked at all other options. Those are my exceptions.

"Now, enjoy the time we have to relax right now before we speak once again. There is plenty of food and drinks to go around. Help yourself." With that, Rufus Shinra disappeared behind a backdoor.

Cloud's shoulders relaxed. "That's something we can't do," he pleaded to Tifa. The barwoman unknowingly fingered her pink ribbon tied to her forearm.

Lightning understood it wasn't her conversation at that point; avoiding curious Turks' eyegaze who had witnessed the confrontation, she quietly slipped outside, breathing in the moist air the second the door closed behind her. A small overhang on the roof's edge provided adequate cover from the battering rainfall. Even so, she slipped off her left navy blue glove and opened her palm up to the storm's mercy, enjoying the cold sting of the rain. The stairs leading to the lodges' front door were slicked down by rain as gravity brought the liquid down and down...

Lightning cracked in the sky, like some entity in the sky taking a picture with a camera the size of Pulse and a flash brighter than Eden.

"This storm is not natural."

The actual Lightning whipped her head around in surprise, triggering a sharp whiplash in her neck as the man Tifa had introduced half an hour ago leaned against the side of the building, his bright eyes tracking every lightning flash in the evening sky.

Vincent Valentine.

She hadn't noticed before, but he wore a red headband on his forehead, matching the long red cloak covering his outfit. A quick glance revealed it was ripped to shreds on the ends, as if someone had taken a set of cat claws to the end. His shoes were some kind of metal, gold in color.

"So you noticed?" she answered in surprise, donning her glove once again. Although slightly embarrassed he had found her enjoying the storm and alone, she regained her composure quickly.

"Gaia doesn't get storms like these...they started occurring the day you arrived here," Vincent remarked.

She leaned against the stair rail. "You're implying that I've created these storms?" It wasn't so much a question, but a fact.

Finally his strange eyes flicked over to her. It was difficult to tell, but was there red flecks buried beneath his gold irises? "Unless you prove otherwise, I can't see any other explanation."

He wasn't challenging her. He was genuinely curious, but also cautious.

She had to chuckle to herself. "I may be Lightning, but I have nothing to do with the storms here. I didn't know if anyone else had noticed. What about the others?"

"They haven't noticed a thing."

"Good."

"..."

"..."

"You faltered during your speech," Vincent remarked suddenly.

Lightning froze, remembering the sharp pain of Etro's voice searing into her brain.

_Shit. _

"You noticed that, too?" she muttered.

"I did. Cloud might have as well."

"It's a long story..."

"Cloud told me what happened a few days ago. Your story."

"Yeah?"

"I have questions."

Lightning blew out a puff of air. She had just been bombarded with a series of inquiries by the Turks...it was times like this she wished Monty was at her side. Sometimes.

"Shoot."

"You said there is a goddess in a world called 'Valhalla.' Yet although she saved you and your friends...some refer to her as the Goddess of Death. Why is that?"

"I've thought about that, too," she admitted. "I can't honestly answer that. I only spent a few minutes in Valhalla before I was shipped off to here...Monty – the moogle who came with me – might know the answer, but all I feel is her encouragement."

"So she has a presence within you?"

"You could say that. Back at the church, I–" she hesitated for a moment before continuing on. "...I felt her push me on. When that strange light just burst out, that wasn't me. It was her. Inside just now, I felt it again, only it felt like someone stabbed me with a hot fork."

A low growl emitted from his throat, until she realized it was something akin to a chuckle.

"Anything else?"

Vincent nodded slightly, but his face betrayed no more emotion. "You said her power is waning. Is that why you must return there with Cloud? If this goddess were to perish, what would two guardians do?"

Lightning faltered. "I don't know. She reigns at the stem of the timeline, the overseer of Valhalla, connected to the entire span of history for every dimension in the universe...if she vanished, the two worlds' balance would become disrupted and we'd have a bigger problem than just paradoxes and chaos," she answered truthfully.

"She has been the goddess since the dawn of eternity?"

"Monty spoke of ancient legends describing her kindness from eons ago. I have no doubt the goddess who inhabits Valhalla now is the same one who was discarded by Bhunivelze. She has little to no powers."

"Why?"

"The details are fuzzy, but she was supposed to look like Bhunivelze's – a god – mother...Mwynn. Bhunivelze feared for his life and granted her nothing," Lightning explained. Monty's knowledge of the world was extensive, despite his nonchalant behavior about anything concerned with _saving _it.

Vincent's eyebrow ever-so-slightly turned up in confusion.

"Tch. Look at me, trying to explain an entirely new history and lore..." Lightning sighed, rubbing her temples. It was a bit of brain overload. Facts, myth, history, legend, lore...everything blended together.

"I see."

"You'll want to speak with the moogle that tagged along with me. Tifa told me he opted to stay at the bar. He knows everything about Etro."

"..."

_Awkward conversation, check. _

A moment of silence passed as the wind howled, the mountain seeming to crouch over in the storm's presence.

"Tifa introduced you, but I still don't know who you are," Lightning stated bluntly.

"I am not your enemy," he replied smoothly.

She nodded. "Right..."

"I don't need to explain everything. Cloud must have told you about AVALANCHE? The years afterward?"

"Tifa told the story of AVALANCHE's fight against ShinRa...against Sephiroth and his Remnants. I couldn't get much else out of Cloud."

"Then that is a subject he will reveal when the time is right. Until then, you must wait."

Cloud had stopped Tifa from mentioning anymore about the mysterious 'Sephiroth' her first night at 7th Heaven...

"Okay..."

The frustration was mounting. Not a single soul was willing to explain who Sephiroth was or why Cloud seemed to be at the center of Gaia's history. Yet she had willingly explained her own history and supposed fate to an entire room of strangers.

"Is there something you _can _tell me?"

"Is it something you can answer?"

"Try me."

"You said before that the chaos is a dark energy emitted from Valhalla, that it originated from Etro as a gift to humans in the form of our hearts. In essence, we are all chaotic beings, correct?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yes."

"I was a Turk once, in the Department of Administrative Research. We tested various life forms and experimented with odd substances, resulting in – for lack of a better word – mutated outcomes. I was assigned to watch over ShinRa's Jenova Project, located in Niblheim."

"Tifa and Cloud's hometown?"

"Yes. I worked with an assistant and the head of the Project, Professor Hojo. The assistant became pregnant with a child." A spark of red anger entered into his eyes. His body seemed to radiate pain. "Hojo insisted that the child be used to experiment on, as a test subject for the Project. The woman continued on, knowing the child was to be tested on anyways. She didn't understand what deformations could result if the experiment went wrong. I did."

"What were you testing?" Lightning asked, picturing deformed chocobos and moogles with three heads.

"What supernatural enhancements the human body could react to and in turn use while still remaining in a living form."

Living?

"And Hojo...?"

"He incapacitated me and attempted to use my body for his experiments," Vincent explained coldly. The subject was a dangerous one; Lightning was hesitant to be encourage him on, afraid to know what happened next. "My body was used to test the possibility to strengthen a human body's endurance, power, and metamorphic abilities. I was alive and dead, in the world of the living and yet also in the realm of the dead. The experiments completed, but I could do nothing."

"..."

"The woman...Lucrecia...tried to revive me."

For once, Vincent struggled to continue. Lightning felt it was not her place to speak.

"Understand that I did not want to share this information with someone so unfamiliar with our world. I am telling you this in the hopes I might wash away past sins," he said, almost in a growl.

"I understand. Go on."

"Lucrecia revived me using the very same energy that lies within us all, the energy seeping from the timelines, and the energy that originated within your goddess's own heart."

"Chaos," Lightning breathed, the realization of what Vincent had been so cryptically revealing shocking her to a standstill.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>This chapter focused on Vincent and Lightning quite a bit, but although I probably absolutely butchered his character (he's so damn hard to write!), I loved writing it nonetheless. That's all I will say for now. Thank you for your patience, and though I hate to leave everyone on a cliffhanger after so long, so it must be! In the meantime, I've got a crazy writer's high-or-whatever-you-want-to-call-it right now, so the next chapter could be done soon, who knows!

Any thoughts on a certain bunch of new Turks? Your thoughts about Vincent and Lightning's conversation?

Thoughts currently preoccupying my mind: LIGHTNING RETURNS! Hell yes.

-**Cranberry Knight-XIII**


	14. Out of the Frying Pan

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Things don't go as plan in the world of Gaia, as usual. Please do drop a **review** to tell me your thoughts! Hope you enjoy! Thankfully this is a much faster update~Also, I'm not decided on whether the "chaos" in the Final Fantasy XIII universe is spelled with an uppercase "C." If anyone knows, let _me _know so I can correct past chapters and keep that in mind for future outings! Thanks in advance.

AND!Oh my Etro, _Final Fantasy XV_. _FINAL FANTASY XV. _Nomura-san, I could just hug you. You can expect to see some sort of crossover in the universe of _Worlds _Collide sometime in the evolution of the story. AND Lightning can wear Cloud's original 1st Class Soldier uniform from FFVII. Holy crap.

**Update 8/6/2013: **I'm also in the process of updating all past WC chapters and stories under my name (yes, I am WriteFF13, with a better name, thank goodness). Sorry for the confusion as I change them! Some will still start and end with the "WriteFF13" signature until I get around to changing them.

Write on,

**Cranberry Knight-XIII **(Now, I'll shut up and let you get on with the dang story. Or did you skip the author's note? Do you skip all of my A/Ns? I'm disappointed. You should be ashamed. THUNDAGA! XD )

* * *

><p><strong>.:<span>WORLDS COLLIDE<span>:. **

_Chapter XIV – Out of the Frying Pan_

**[**"What Squirms" – _Final Fantasy Type-0_**]**

_It's go-time, _Lightning thought as the room of Turks once again gathered in the middle of the lodge. Rufus Shinra emerged from the backroom, seemingly more collected as he straightened his crisp gray suit and nodded to his agents. She and Cloud flanked his side.

"Take a seat, everyone," Shinra commanded.

Lightning briefly glimpsed the Zaidelle Turk taking a stand in the far right corner of the room, near the window that showed a glorious view of the storm outside.

"We may have to stay here for the night," Cloud quietly remarked, nodding towards the thrashing branches that slammed against the side of the lodge, rain pummeling the windows.

"No kidding," she responded, thoughts distracted by her previous conversation with the mysteriously cryptic Vincent Valentine. His request offered after revealing his past had nearly sent her reeling over the side of the stairs. She tried to push it away until the time was right to broach the subject again.

_"You're asking the impossible!" _

_ "I want a chance at a life without sin. Is that so much to ask?"_

Before she could delve into her memory deeper, Rufus began speaking about emergency procedures in the event of a paradox in the midst of a populated town (Edge being the number one priority), building teams to research and excavate around the church for clues as to how to detain the chaos, and other forms of action. In the corner of her eye she noticed a slight clench of Cloud's jaw, a microscopic narrow of the eyes. There was still so much she didn't understand or know about Gaia, yet Cloud seemed unwilling to reveal everything, despite their cemented truce and comradeship. And Shinra...well, she didn't trust him, that was for damn sure. He reminded her too much Yaag Rosch before he awoke to the truth. Too much. He was intent on protecting his people, but at what risk was he willing to go through to achieve the Planet's peace? He offered a plan that would utterly demolish the church, but there was no guarantee it would destroy the time gate or not – Cloud argued there wasn't any solid evidence to back up Rufus's idea – and the church was dear to the many people of Gaia, or so it seemed. And Cloud's abrupt anger, even at the simple _mention _of destroying the church had awoken an angry fire she didn't know he harbored. Tifa had mentioned something about the church's name...what was it?

Aeris? No... Aria? Not that, either.

Aerith's church. Bingo. Perhaps the church had been dedicated to the girl, or she was an old friend...and if Cloud and Tifa had shown such objection to "Aerith's church" being destroyed, then it was very possible the girl was deceased. There was a minute amount of weight to Shinra's argument, but...was it worth blowing up the church? Did he even have concrete evidence that the idea would work and blow the time gate to smithereens in the hopes of stemming the flow of impending chaos? Monty said there were multiple time gates in the world but until Lightning knew she could escape when she and Cloud were ready, the church couldn't go, not yet.

And then there was the lingering Stigma, as Tifa had explained. A disease caused by the body of an enemy whose cells had plagued the Lifestream, the heart of their Planet. It was in many children and although they had defeated Sephiroth and supposedly found a cure to the Stigma the problem was...the cure for the Stigma was in the midst of a hazard zone. Lightning knew they hadn't won yet; the church's liberation of chaos was still far from being reachable, goddess magic notwithstanding. Shinra reported that the church had cleared of darkness above water, though in the depths of the pond where the time gate lay…it was anybody's guess.

_And we've learned two things today._

"Midgar is now proclaimed as a hazard zone. At any given time, we must be prepared to evacuate the people if a paradox is spotted within the city limits..."

_I can drive the chaos back, fight the darkness, yet I am overwhelmed by the sheer force of it if surrounded._

"We will begin sending out research teams to other possible areas with a high risk of a paradox occurring, including the Sectors outside of our friend's church..."

_Cloud can move freely within the chaos, but his ability to fight it is limited._

"I will let Cloud explain what the plans for the immediate future are," finished Shinra, promptly stepping backwards and crossing his arms in front of him. The room of Turks dipped their heads, acknowledging his words.

_Save it for later, Farron._

"You saw what happened this morning at the church and I think you can understand the danger we're dealing with after Lightning spoke. Remember that the paradoxes can happen at any time, anywhere. Be on your guard, protect the people, warn them."

Tifa piped up from the back of the room, Marlene seated beside her once again at the only booth in the room. "I thought we could teach people about them at the bar, a fast and easy way to spread information around Edge. Just be careful, everyone. I don't want anyone being sucked into another dimension," she said, an encouraging smile gracing her face. Lightning now understood why the bar had been so populated by men; Tifa's beauty wasn't anything to sneeze at. That, and from what she had been told by Cloud and Tifa herself, the woman could fight.

In the back of her mind, amidst the mixing pot of all of the things she had been thinking of the past few days, she vaguely stored for future thought to perhaps challenge Tifa for a quick duel, if just to have the experience of fighting a martial artist. The Lieutenant had said that her own exceptional skill at martial arts was a valuable one, so Lightning had a few tricks up her sleeve...

"If anyone spots a paradox–" Cloud began, before the Turk in glasses spoke up again.

"What do these paradoxes look like?"

A valid question. "Whether you're in the middle of a paradox or not will be imminently clear the moment it occurs. Chaos–a dark cloud–accumulates, and images of the past or future of the landscape around you will pocket the air, sort of like..." Lightning fished around for the right word, "...distortions. It's difficult to explain, but like I said, unless you've seen one before, it will be obvious."

"You said a paradox is what opened you to the world of Valhalla, correct?" the man asked.

"Yes. Like Cloud said, these aren't occurrences we can take lightly. I was lucky Etro guided me to Valhalla after the paradox opened up. If one happens again, I doubt they'll have Etro's blessing and could be sucked into an alternate dimension. I'm not sure if Tifa mentioned it, but a paradox occurred in 7th Heaven today. We saw the future of the bar, and Cloud's bed was sucked into it. Though it's rare, it was chucked out into the Wasteland, and that was that," Lightning explained, glazing over the minute details that Tifa had revealed about the paradox showing a future where the bar was being burned to a crisp.

"If you are near a paradox, get the hell out of there. Record or remember its location, then get out. Report to me or Rufus. If you see one of us before that time, please tell us so we can warn people and clear the area," said Cloud.

"Your most valuable defense is reaction," Lightning added, putting a certain weight to her words that caused the Turks to pay close attention. "The goddess bestowed me a gift that allows me to travel the timeline at will. You can't. Every other person in this room besides Cloud and I will be shredded to nothing but crimson flecks of flesh if you are sucked in _directly _to the Historia Crux. Sometimes you can be thrown into a dimension immediately, but most often, you'll pay a visit to the timeline, like I did. Don't let that happen. If you're near one, react quickly before it can harm you, and beat feet out of there.

"The moogle that tagged along with me gave a much more revolting description, but I don't think you need any other reason not to go near a paradox other than that going through the Crux will be just as bad as swimming through a giant cheese shredder."

A few Turks chuckled nervously at her warning, glancing at each other in subtle disbelief. Lightning nodded, glad she had gotten her point across. She could have also mentioned the fact that a person's first experience with the Historia Crux leads to an overload of memories, an overload that could potentially wipe out your brain with the sheer force of every minute detail planted in those memories rising up from a person's entire past. Monty hadn't been shy with the details, that was for sure.

"Well, if the 'Historia Crux' is a timeline of the entire universe, that's one big-ass cheese shredder," Reno chuckled, earning a few head shakes and more smirks.

"Tch," muttered Lightning, smiling slightly. She couldn't help but notice Reno catch her gaze, a sparkle in his eye.

_The second I see another paradox, he's going straight in that 'big-ass cheese shredder.'_

Cloud tossed a moderately amused glance at her and continued. "Rufus will be doing what he can to warn and prepare the people of Edge. Tifa, Lightning, and everyone at home will be working to find the Artefact to seal the gate in the church."

"Be prepared and be careful," Tifa added.

Rufus nodded to everyone in the room. "I think, unless our comrades have anything else to say, our meeting has come to a close tonight?" He looked to Cloud, who shook his head. Finally, they were finished. "Alright, have a pleasant night."

He and Cloud retreated into the back room, no doubt discussing any further details of 7th Heaven's "game plan."

She had survived.

A relieved smile spread across Lightning's face, unintentional but welcome nonetheless as she wound through the wave of Turks that begun to stand, stretching from their long period of sitting. Barrett was conversing with a group and Vincent was standing at the end of the chair opposite of Tifa, watching Lightning closely, Denzel behind him. However, she ignored them both as Tifa and Marlene dished out high-fives.

"That was great, Light!" Tifa exclaimed. "I think this just might work!"

"Even Mr. Rufus was impressed," Marlene whispered, giggling.

"Hmm."

Tifa yawned, rubbing her eyes. "This has been fun and all, but I'm ready to go to bed. What about you?"

"Yeah. Are we waiting on Cloud?"

"He's in the back with Rufus...I'm sure he'll be out by the time _Barrett stops jibber-jabbering!_" Tifa said loudly, earning a joking snort from the big man himself.

"Are you sure it's safe to drive out in this storm?" Vincent quietly said.

"In Barrett's truck? You better believe it. And I'm sure Fenrir will be fine," Tifa answered. "Want to ride with us, Light?"

Actually, she did, and intended to ask a few questions she was uncertain of broaching to Cloud.

"Sure."

"I wonder what your dear moogle friend is doing now," Tifa mused as the amount of Turks began to trickle out the front door. The storm raged on.

An automatic frown suddenly replaced Lightning's smile. "I don't even want to know."

Marlene giggled. "I bet she's having a lot of fun with him!"

"She?" Lightning questioned.

"You'll see," the barwoman laughed. "I left a friend in charge of the bar while we left. I don't think Monty is too happy with me."

Lightning raised an eyebrow but said nothing, mildly hoping the bugger was getting some sort of mild torture for his ridiculous behavior. The moogle reminded her of a bitchy high school girl, one Lightning had been forced to deliver a beat down at back on Cocoon in Bodhum's elementary school.

_I'd forgotten about that...so much time has passed...I almost forgot what it felt like to be a kid._

Two minutes passed before Cloud joined them, a small frown darkening his face. "Sorry. Are we ready?"

Tifa smiled up at him. "Don't worry, Barrett's just getting the truck started. Are you sure you don't want to load Fenrir in the back? You'll be soaked and the roads will probably be pretty slick, tough guy," she warned.

"I'll be fine." Cloud's short answer perked Lightning's ears, but she said nothing, vaguely wondering what he had discussed with Shinra.

"Okay, let's go."

* * *

><p><strong>[<strong>"Echo of the Dreadnoughts" – _Final Fantasy Type-0_**]**

Lightning and Co. were the last ones to pull out, as Marlene proclaimed to have to use the restroom at the last possible second. With her business done, Barrett roared the engine as Tifa jumped in the shotgun with Marlene in the middle seat up front, Lightning in the backseat on the right, and Denzel on the left, silent and grouchy as always. As Barrett pulled out – muttering about how slowly the Turks drove – Fenrir could clearly be heard starting up until the noise was no longer audible over the roar of the truck. Vincent remained at Healin to stay the night. With the storm still going strong and the roads slick with rain, Barrett was going just a tad bit fast for such iffy conditions.

Tifa frowned. "Slow down, Barrett."

"Eh? Sorry."

Rain slapped against the windows, windshield wipers going berserk as lightning cracked outside. Denzel fidgeted, pressing his face up against the glass in an attempt to see Cloud behind them. It had calmed when she had met with Vincent outside of the lodge, but it had reached a scale of uneasy violence since the meeting with the Turks came to a close. Wind howled over the mountain that backed the two-way road, the guard rails a meager toothpick that, if a truck were to skid over to the side, would virtually do nothing to stop its path. And as Lightning peered over the edge, seeing only a _very _muddy and _very _deep descent to the river at the base of the bluff's edge, she was thankful she had a gravity control device engraved in her finger. Her heart jumped when they took a sharp corner and the weight of the back of the truck caused it to swerve to the side, barely missing scraping the rail.

"_Barrett!"_ Tifa snapped, her grip on the side door rest tightening. "It doesn't matter if we get there ten minutes late, you're driving like a damn banshee!"

The man looked over in surprise. "I'm goin' 45...ain't that slow enough? We'll be fine, this baby's got the best tires on the Planet! And I don't want ta be stuck when these roads get really slick."

The woman huffed and looked over the seat to Denzel. "Everything okay, sweetie?" He nodded. "And Light? Had a heart attack yet?"

"At this rate–" The truck hit a bump in the road, sending them airborne a foot or two. " – I think I'd take my chances with the gorge down there."

"We haven't had a storm this bad for years...was it this bad when you and Cloud left?" asked Tifa.

"No, the sky was all clear, not a cloud in sight."

"Huh. I missed the weather report last night, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised. Still, I hope it's not raining too hard back at the house...oh, if that wind rips off the new tin roof Cloud put in...!"

They sat in silence for several minutes, allowing Barrett to concentrate as he maneuvered around the winding mountain, slowly descending the cliff's edge. Lightning gathered the courage to ask, hesitant to broach a sensitive topic at such a tense moment. Still, she needed to know.

"Hey, Tifa..."

"Hmm?"

"You and Cloud have both mentioned the church with a name, or as if it belonged to someone. Aerith, I think. Can I ask who she is?"

Tifa turned slightly, smiling sadly. Barrett kept his eyes on the road, but shook his head. Denzel and Marlene quieted from their quick spout. "She was a dear friend, my best friend, during our fight against ShinRa and Sephiroth. Back then I was in AVALANCHE and still living in Sector 7 while running a restraint there, sort of like the HQ of our group. Cloud, Barrett, Vincent, myself, and a few others made up the resistance group. Cloud met a girl named Aerith...she was a flower girl, and asked him to protect her."

"From what?"

"She was sort of like a rare species, a Cetra. I remember Cloud telling me that when he fell off the bridge at the Mako reactor we blew up, he crashed through the roof of the church, landed right where you emerged from the pond, right?" Tifa said.

"Yeah, through the floorboards."

"Right, so one of the first things Aerith told Cloud after he fell from the sky was not to crush the flowers." Tifa laughed, but unless it was Lightning's imagination, it sounded forced. "I met her and she was so kind, Lighting, you'd think she was angel. Perfect."

Lightning tweaked an ear, trying to pick out what kind of tone was underscoring Tifa's story. The woman was trying to hide it.

"Anyways, she died in the fight. Sephiroth...killed her," Tifa explained, though her voice had become softer. "She was praying, too. It wasn't right. Cloud and I, we hated Sephiroth. He burned our hometown, killed our friend, and slaughtered innocent people. The pink ribbons our family wears are in honor of her memory. Aerith used to wear a pretty pink bow in her hair."

"I'm sorry," Lightning said, slightly confused at the sudden mention of Mako reactors, the Turks as former enemies, and just who Sephiroth was in the first place. Nonetheless, now wasn't the time to ask another sensitive question like that, so she moved on.

"And the Turk? Zaidelle?"

"Oh, Alia. I've met her once, never liked her much. She's quite the spiteful, obnoxious one, isn't she? Sorry for her trouble, I don't know why she ripped into you, but I'm glad you put her in her place. Rufus hired her because she's got the brains to be a Turk, but at the same time, she doesn't put a lot of thoughts into her words. Strange combination."

"And the man in the glasses? He seemed interested in what I had to say," Lightning mentioned, remembering the flash of his lens.

"Hmm...Naghi, right, Barrett?" The man nodded. "He's part of Rufus's rather elite research teams. He doesn't talk much but people usually listen when he does. I wouldn't be surprised if he calls you up to talk to you about paradoxes again," Tifa predicted.

"I can't wait," she responded sarcastically.

"Are you sure you're okay? After all, you were knocked out this morning. Surely my quick cure wasn't enough to fully get you to one hundred percent?" Tifa asked, concerned.

"No, I'm fine. A little tired from my questionnaire, but it doesn't matter."

"Do you and Cloud have a plan for tomorrow?"

"We need to find that Artefact to seal the gate, fast. I drove the chaos back, but the church won't be quiet for long. I'd guess we have a few days until it emerges out of the pond," she guessed.

"I'll take care of things at home while you two run around. I take it you'll be hitching a ride with Cloud?"

"Actually, it might be better if we went our separate ways to cover more ground. Clearly Cloud can handle himself, and I'll stick around Edge for a bit to get the hang of things. Still suffering from a bit of whiplash, if you know what I mean."

"...Mm, I don't know about that. Edge isn't really one for strangers and your story's a tough one to believe. Gaia's history has essentially been rewritten since you and Monty told us everything."

"Yeah. My history, too. I'll talk to him tomorrow morning."

The cab quieted, each person listening to the rain outside. Truly, it sounded like a hurricane.

"I hope Cloud's okay...I told him to load the bike in..." Tifa muttered, glancing in the side mirror. Sure enough, Fenrir's headlight reflected off of it. "I'm worried about him, after what Rufus said. That wasn't his place to mention something like that."

Barrett spoke up. "That asshole needs to keep his nose out of our damn business when it comes ta thingslike that! I don't want him sayin' stuff like that around the kids." He glanced at Marlene, who looked at him expectedly. "Sorry, hon."

"That's just not a solution. Or at least, if we can find no other way, then perhaps we'll start thinking. Until then, I don't want to hear another word about it," Tifa sighed.

Yet Lightning wasn't listening. As she stared out the window, head in hand, she spotted something dark accumulating in the sky just a quarter of a mile out. She sat up in surprise, squinting hard to try and make out what it was...from so far away, it looked like no more than a bird, but as it speeded towards the mountain, her muscles tensed. She could clearly make out vibrant, black wings as it swooped in an arc, parallel to the mountain. A thick cloud of darkness, that could only be chaos, swirled off of its body.

"What is that?" Marlene chirped, pointing over Tifa at the floating object.

She could now clearly make out the long shape of claws on the beast as it flew at their side, its eyes glowing a dim red.

_Wait a second... _

"Barrett!"

Finally, Lightning recognized the dragon-esque beast as it soared majestically through the air. It was sight she had witnessed three times, memories of the beast flying at tremendous speeds, bursting through a purple portal and screeching to a halt to its master. Rescuing six l'Cie from a new arrival to Gran Pulse. It had carried its caller through the brightly lit racetrack of Eden as they had all fought their way to the throne of Eden.

Bahamut, Fang's Eidolon.

"Stop the truck!" Lightning commanded, shocked at how relieved she was to see a familiar sight...or so she thought, until another flash of lightning lit the air, revealing no rider atop the airborne beast.

_Fang...?_

"I can't see the damn road!"

An earth-shaking crack of lightning flashed through the air, blinding all in the truck as it split a tree, setting it ablaze. The truck sped around it until it was nothing more than an orange blur. Fenrir screeched behind them as Barrett struggled to retain control over the swerving vehicle. Inside the cab, Tifa had grabbed Marlene close and Denzel was strapping his seatbelt on, tight. Lightning went to do the same, mind reeling.

"It's coming!" Marlene shrieked and indeed, Bahamut – or so it looked like – was dive-bombing towards the truck, grazing the canopy of the forest on the side of the bluff before an eerie glow began to grow in its mouth, shaking with powerful energy.

Lightning knew what would come if they didn't somehow evade the Eidolon's violent fury. The whole mountainside would be diminished to dust. She only hoped that she could warn the others.

"Get out, now!" she shouted above the enormous pressure of Bahamut's wings and the thunder of rain. "Barrett!" The man, assured Tifa could handle Marlene, yanked his door open and rolled out, leaving the truck to grind against the guard rails.

"Get Denzel out!" With that, she jumped, holding Marlene close. Lightning witnessed a flash of black clothing as she rebounded off of a tree. Tifa would be fine.

Like Tifa, Lightning had every intention to grab Denzel and leap out on his side to safety. As she reached over to do that, one small problem stopped her. She looked down and fussed with the seatbelt, cursing. Wasn't there a damn voice prompt that would release it? Now wasn't the time to be ignorantly accustomed to Cocoon's high-tech automaton cars!

_"Shit!" _

The Eidolon had disappeared behind a collection of trees until it emerged again, prying its mouth open for the enormous ball of energy that had composed, the truck continuing to roll forward. It would vaporize every cell in her body if she did not move. She barely had time to cast a shield around the boy, praying to the goddess to protect them both.

"Hang on!"

The shockwave that hit the truck before the actual flame was of massive scale, folding the trees over in two as the wall of blue power hit the road in front of them, caving in the pavement underneath the tires. Immediately the truck dove headfirst, crashing on its right side before completely tipping over into slick mud. A tree outside of Denzel's door dented the side, busting the lock and throwing it wide open. Through the mess of shattering glass, rain, and mud, she found the shield gleaming, still intact.

The truck's front tires hit an enormous boulder, sending the mass careening into a barrel roll down the side of the mountain until it teetered to a stop on the edge of another ledge of boulders, two tires on the right side spinning wildly in midair. Nearly a half-mile below was pure rock and river water.

The glass on Lightning's window was penetrated by a tree branch, spearing through her arm. Before she could even react to the immense pain the bark was ripped out, blood bubbling and staining her pale skin.

Through the stars that exploded behind her eyelids, Lightning cracked them open, holding her forearm tightly. She could barely see anything. "Denzel?! Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah," the boy stuttered, uncurling from his position with his hands over his ears.

Lightning didn't dare to look out her window, feeling the steady rock of the truck as the weight precariously balanced the vehicle on the ledge, only barely holding fast. As she looked over, breathing heavily, she realized that the only thing keeping the truck situated was Denzel's tiny bit of weight on the opposite side. Yet the moment he got out, she would be going through hell's worst rollercoaster. Tifa had told her to protect Denzel, and she would. Damn the consequences.

"Denzel, get out, now. Run straight up to the others," she commanded. When he didn't move a muscle, she snapped, "go, _now!" _

"But you'll die!"

_"Go!"_

Carefully he slid over the edge of the seat, reaching with his toes until they barely touched the ground, disappearing on the other side with a small thump. The truck creaked dangerously. Denzel's footsteps disappeared, leaving Lightning alone.

"Shit," she muttered, afraid to even blink. "If you really are out there, Etro, I could use your help right about now."

The vehicle inched over again, gently rolling towards the edge. Again, it picked up speed, beginning to slide down the incline to meets its demise in the small canyon below.

_Move, move!_

Throwing caution to the wind she burned the seatbelt and lurched to the side, ignoring the sudden jolt of the truck as she scampered over the seat, kicking off of the leather just as it went over the edge. She reached out and found the edge of the rocks, looking below her as the truck fell through mid-air, nothing else left in its path as it cut a path straight to the bottom. She watched it explode, shrapnel flying in every direction and a tire popping high into the air, a blaze roaring in its wake.

She'd seen enough and hauled herself on the ledge, exhaling in relief, then cupping her hand over her heart to feel the same warm encouragement flowing from the goddess. The deity had protected both her and Denzel.

_Get up, Farron! _

"Hey, need some help?"

Her eyes open to find a gloved hand extended towards her and followed the arm up to its owner, whose cerulean eyes glowed brightly in the darkness of the forest. His sword was clenched tightly in his other hand, slightly leaning against it to retain balance on the mountain slope.

She quickly sat up, shaking her head to clear the dizziness. Her hand and arm was striped with scarlet, but she accepted his help anyway.

"Easy does it," Cloud warned.

"Give me a second," she muttered, closing her eyes in an effort to escape the flashes of warning red that exploded behind her eyelids. "I must've hit my head in that truck..."

"Your head's bleeding," he noted. She responded by waving it away. Was Bahamut still flying about?

"It's fine, I'll heal up when I know we're safe and sound. Did the...Eidolon leave? Is Bahamut gone?"

"Eidolon? _Bahamut_?"

"Yes. I mean, did he leave after the truck went over the edge?"

"Flew out seconds later. I couldn't do anything; I had to stop the bike and help the others."

"Is Denzel okay? Did he make it back up?"

"He's fine." Lightning faltered again, forced to kneel on one knee and catch her breath.

"Damnit," she blurted, frustrated. She hated feeling weak.

With a small shake of his head, Cloud mounted his monstrous sword on his back and leaned down, gripping Lightning's left arm an hoisting it over his shoulder, wrapping another arm around her and pulling her up, towing her out of the danger zone. A fire had imploded from the explosion below, catching even the most damp of tinder as smoke billowed through the sky, pierced through by rain droplets.

The ex-soldier tried to nod her appreciation, but all she saw were doubles, Cloud's face swimming back and forth. "Thanks..."

"You saved Denzel. It's I that should be thanking you," he said quietly. "He told us that the truck would tip over if he got out, but you made him anyways."

"You saved me back at the church; we're just even now." She grimaced, trying to keep from kicking a tree in frustration.

"I was a little late."

"Tifa said you usually are," she finally responded after a relapse, chuckling.

Cloud blinked in surprise at the words that came from his comrade's mouth. "...She may be right...Come on, let's go."

* * *

><p><strong>[<strong>"Three Hours of Fate" – _Final Fantasy Type-0_**]**

They trudged their way up the slope, slipping and occasionally sliding until they made it to the road, waving to Tifa. She and Barrett were huddled around the two kids, poised to strike in the event that the Eidolon could return. Denzel nodded to her silently when she made eye contact to him.

Tifa's gloved fists lowered and she jumped forward, helping Lightning over the rail. "Oh, Gaia, when we heard the explosion, we thought...you and Denzel had..." She was nearly moved to tears as she hugged Lightning.

"I'm okay," Lightning answered briskly.

The barwoman's hands came away with blood staining the black. "Lightning, you hit your head...and your arm, what happened?!"

"Damn branch shattered my window. I didn't have time to pull out the bark yet."

"Cloud called Rufus before he went down to get you; Elena and Tseng are coming back to pick us up. We can't all fit on Fenrir!" Tifa reassured her.

"Alright, good," Lightning muttered, sitting down on the side of the rail that hadn't been crushed. A large divide in the road cut them off from going back to Healin. Barrett continued to bark orders on his phone to get in contact with the Turks, alerting them of the newfound danger. Tifa hustled the kids away from the edge and Cloud dealt out a quick phone call to Vincent, who was holed back up in the lodge.

_Just my luck_, Lightning thought bitterly. _For once I begin to have a good day and something screws me over. _

She opened her palm and quietly let green energy flow from the tips of her finger to her head, sealing the wound in seconds. As for the bark, well...it wasn't going to feel good. In the shadow of her own figure against Fenrir's only headlight, she gently probed into the very underside of the broken skin, gritting her teeth ash she quickly pulled it out. There was something incredibly disgusting about feeling your skin and blood mold around an object _in your arm_, but she tossed it over her shoulder anyway.

The flying beast that was uncannily similar to her former friend and comrade-in-arms' Eidolon – Bahamut – was the reason she sat there now with her head nearly sliced open, a near-fatal incident involving a mere _kid _for Etro's sake and an attack that nearly wiped out part of the mountain. Before the truck went over the edge, she had caught of a glimpse of the soaring beast. Undoubtedly it was the same creature as Bahamut...or, a different creature within the same species of an Eidolon? Monty had said something about the fact that Etro housed all Eidolon within Valhalla, hadn't he? There was no possible way Fang – _or _Vanille for that matter – could have escaped from their crystal stasis; they weren't even l'Cie anymore, incapable of wielding an Eidolon. They wouldn't want to, anyway. Besides, the "Bahamut" _she _saw was covered in Chaos. Lightning was granted the ability to hold dominance over Odin simply because Etro bestowed that gift upon her. There was simply no way.

She was once again, lost in a sea of uncertainty, doubts, and questions, just as she had freed herself from the fog of the initial entry into this vast new world.

* * *

><p><strong>[<strong>"Turn the Tables" – _BLEACH_**]**

And then a spark lit in her brain, a light bulb going off.

"If that Bahamut was wrapped in Chaos and clearly doesn't belong in this world, that means it must have traveled here through a gate," she murmured. The storm – though subsiding now that the monster had disappeared – was still loud enough to drown out her new revelation. "With its size, there's no way it could have come through the church gate...which means...

"That's it!" she exclaimed, looking to the others. They gazed back at her in confusion.

"Huh?"

Though there was a dull throb in her arm (now that she thought about it, the same arm she held her blade with), she pointed to the sky. "That monster is an imitation of a creature my friend once wielded during our battle on Cocoon. Its name then was Bahamut, an Eidolon that l'Cie can summon at will," she explained.

"Okay..." Tifa said, encouraging her to continue. "I've never seen you this emotional before, so it must be important."

"It is. That Eidolon is not my friend – Fang's. It was wreathed in Chaos, that much I could tell. I know Bahamut couldn't have fit through the church's time gate, unless it busted the entire place down without drowning in the process. Which means..."

Cloud stepped forward, a tiny, microscopic sign of excitement quirking the side of his lips up. "...It came from a different gate, then."

Lightning nodded. "Exactly."

Marlene piped up from her place beside Denzel on the opposite lane of the road. "I don't get it."

Lightning didn't answer her immediately, but turned to Cloud again, smirking. The latter raised his eyebrows in interest, whipping out his phone before the words could leave her mouth. "I'd say Shina's plan has been shut down before it ever started, huh?"

Cloud's fingers were a blur as he tapped a speed-dial number, holding the phone to his ears while Lightning addressed Tifa and the kids. The trio's eyes flitted back and forth, utterly confused.

"If we follow that creature back to Valhalla, where every Eidolon's original birth takes place, then we can find another time gate and seal the pond in Aerith's church. It all makes sense...Etro had to have sent the Eidolon as a sign," Lightning said.

"So the Turks don't even have a reason to go near Aerith's church!"

"Right."

"Yo, I got the Turks on the line," Barrett called, pointing to the phone near his ear.

"I think we should talk about this later...not to curbstomp your momentum, Light, but we all need rest, and tomorrow we can sort this out and go back to the drawing board," Tifa said. "I think the kids need rest, as we all do."

"You're right."

"Turks are comin' back, should be here in a few minutes," Barrett announced, snapping his phone shut.

A new thought suddenly occurred to Lightning as she sat on the remains of the guard rail, holding her forearm, clothes smudged with dirt and the bottom edge of her red cape ripped.

The magic that had poured forth at her will to heal the gash in her arm, literally, had _poured_. She hadn't noticed the intense force of it, the power of the simple spell, but now that she had a moment to think about, well, what the _hell _just happened seven minutes ago, the magic was particularly strong, like she had removed a dam's obstacle...

Was Monty right?

Did she actually wield the powers of a l'Cie again, yet immune to its curse, free to hardness its power? Were they even more extraordinary?

Were her comrades and family without power? Mere humans could not survive on the harsh vastness of Gran Pulse's wilderness, not without some sort of protection...she assumed PSICOM continued on. She could only hope that Serah was surrounded by friends that could protect her. Lightning would give anything to be at her side now, that was for damn sure.

"Hey, they're here!"

Tifa grabbed Marlene and Denzel's hands, leading them over the gap in the road. Incoming runoff from the slope above the road channeled into the road; if it rained again the entire curve would be washed out. Barrett rubbed a hand across his chin and followed suit. Lightning looked after him, a pang in her stomach causing her to grit her teeth. Somehow she had to make up a ruined truck to him.

"Don't worry about it," Cloud reassured her, gazing at the set of approaching headlights in the distance. Perhaps it was cruel irony that he had refused Tifa's offer to ride with them.

Lightning sighed and walked with him as Tseng and Elena pulled up. "If I make it out of here alive, I'm going to be in debt to you guys for eternity. I take it you don't take Gil?"

Cloud shook his head in mock amazement. "You're kidding?"

"Don't tell me...?"

"Yeah."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The chocobo figurine was the biggest hint."

* * *

><p>"If you need anything else, let us know. You know where we'll be," the blonde Turk addressed to Tifa. Their sleek car was parked outside of 7th Heaven as its inhabitants gathered on the front step until they vanished.<p>

"I hope ya got the key, Teef, 'cause it's damn dark out there!" Barrett rumbled, even as she knocked on the door.

"I've got it covered, don't w–"

Tifa froze in the doorway, her body stiff.

The only sound in came from the clatter of the pair of keys in Tifa's hands as she stepped forward. The group leaned around her to look.

"What. The. Hell. Happened."

"Oh, shit..."

"Uh-oh..."

"What happened?"

"..."

"..."

Lightning wasn't one to ever cower in fear. She was fearless in battle, a ruthless opponent to all those that denied her forward march. She was strong, independent.

Yet the next shriek that erupted from Tifa's mouth sent her reeling behind Cloud, who was equally terrified as he, Marlene, Denzel, and Barrett scampered backwards as the nighthawk moved forward, gloves on and steam spewing from her ears.

_**"MONTYYYYY! YUFFIE!"**_

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>There ya go, a nice, long update to tide you over until the next chapter. As a heads-up, the entire plotline of WC has been planned out, so I won't be integrating any suggestions or ideas. Not trying to be a dick, but just telling you all. Also, the last bit of Light's convo with Vincent will be cleared up soon, don't worry.

**Lightning's Theme: **"Blinding" – Florence + the Machine. This song is absolutely perfect. Lyrics, because you _need _to see my reasoning for this song. I don't think many realize truly how much effort, time, and thought has gone into this story. Literally, _everything _is tied.

_**BLINDING **_**– FLORENCE + THE MACHINE**

_Seems that I have been held in some dreaming state_

_I twist in the waking world, never quite awake_

_No kiss, no gentle word could wake me from this slumber_

_Until I realize that it was you who held me under_

_Felt it in my fist, in my feet, in the hollows of my eyelids_

_Shaking through my skull, through my spine_

_And down through my ribs  
><em>_  
><em>_No more dreaming of the dead as if death itself was undone_

_No more crawling like a crow for a boy, for a body in the garden_

_No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love_

_No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love_

_No more dreaming like a girl so in love with the wrong world  
><em>_  
><em>_And I could hear the thunder and see the lightning crack_

_And all around the world was waking, I never could go back_

_'Cause all the walls of dreaming, they were torn right open_

_And finally it seemed that the spell was broken  
><em>_  
><em>_And all my bones began to shake, my eyes flew open_

_And all my bones began to shake, my eyes flew open  
><em>_  
><em>_No more dreaming of the dead as if death itself was undone_

_No more crawling like a crow for a boy, for a body in the garden_

_No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love_

_No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love_

_No more dreaming like a girl so in love with the wrong world  
><em>_  
><em>_Someone's stitching up the circuit boards_

_Someone's slipping through the hidden door_

_Someone's stitching up the circuit board  
><em>_  
><em>_No more dreaming of the dead as if death itself was undone_

_No more crawling like a crow for a boy, for a body in the garden_

_No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love_

_No more dreaming like a girl so in love, so in love_

_No more dreaming like a girl so in love with the wrong world__Someone's stitching up the circuit boards_

_Someone's slipping through the hidden door _

_Someone's stitching up your circuit boards_

_Someone's slipping through the hidden door_

-**Cranberry Knight-XIII**


	15. Blinding Light

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I hope you enjoy! Just to reinforce it, this fic does not feature Cloud and Lightning as a pairing, and to be honest, it seems like most reviewers don't quite mind. So, feel free to leave a** review**! This is a shorter update than usual as...well, we transition into the "Crow's Wail" arc.

A lot of this is comprised of canon things from the games itself, but once again, I am taking many liberties and while WC's mythology is familiar to anyone who knows the FNC series, there are several twists that I put in to keep things fresh. So, don't complain because it isn't exactly what you remembered from FFXIII or XIII-2, please and thank you.

Anyways…enjoy! **Reviews **make my day better :D. Oh, and I'll be going back and updating/rewriting Chapters 1-4. It's been two years since this story was published. Let's just say the first few chapters aren't up to my standards today.

**NAME CHANGE/PEN NAME: **In lieu of what I believe to be a turning point in this ongoing excursion of Fanfiction writing, I decided it's time to start fresh and what better way to do that then with a name change? So, it's now official "**Cranberry Knight-XIII**". I apologize for the confusion, but I've been wanting to change my pen name for quite some time now, and since I love Final Fantasy Type-0's moogles so much, I decided it was a cute little name that is at least more creative than "WriteFF13"...regardless of the reasons behind that past name. So, don't think I'm stealing anyone's work. I AM WriteFF13. Just with a brand new world ahead of me. Sorry for any confusion! Thanks for understanding.

Write on,

**Cranberry Knight-XIII**

* * *

><p><strong>.:<strong>**WORLDS COLLIDE****:. **

_Chapter XV – Blinding Light _

**[**"Terra's Theme" – _Final Fantasy VI_**]**

The second night in 7th Heaven was more or less eventful as the previous night. Once more Lightning lay in Cloud's bed, scrubbing back and forth through countless details on the situation of the chaos in the church, the sheer complexity of the entire series of events enough to make anyone exhausted and in fact, Lightning had been seconds away from a deep sleep until she remembered they were running on borrowed time...and the process looped again until she was wide awake again, sighing in frustration; an hour ago she had exited the shower, hoping to wash away the day's troubles and get a good night's rest. No such luck graced her.

The appearance of the mysterious "Chaotic Eidolon" – or so Lightning had dubbed it – was simply too convenient to dismiss as mere coincidence; the fact remained that no one knew about the meeting of the Turks aside from the agents themselves and 7th Heaven's inhabitants, a point that only proved all too well that no Eidolon should have known where they were. Cloud remarked that the beast could have tracked them from the Wasteland, though highly unlikely, Lightning figured. If the Eidolon had eyesight that could see across _miles_, then she was a moogle.

Her only lead amounted to two things.

One (a fact she had yet to confirm with Monty, who was currently sobering up from his night of intoxication after raiding 7th Heaven's supply of wine and beer), was that the Eidolon _must _have traveled through an alternate time gate than the one in Aerith's church...Cloud assured her they would check out the Sector to make sure, but from what Monty had explained – or, tried to, anyway – the Eidolon would have needed to travel through a larger gate. Nonetheless, it was the encouragement Cloud had needed to fire down Rufus's "bomb the damn church!" idea while simultaneously laying out their first path of discovery.

Two, was something Lightning still hadn't discussed in full with the others...was the Eidolon really the Bahamut she knew, or perhaps some alternate-dimensional-freak-monster... _thing? _

Lightning sighed and turned on her side, throwing the hot covers off of her and gazing out the only window in the room, bathed in an eerie shadow of the moon's glow. All was quiet in the house with the exception of Monty's obnoxious snoring somewhere in the house...

_House. _

Something similar to a small smile crept onto her face, toying with the idea of 7th Heaven becoming her secondary home, yet as much as she had begun to enjoy the company of Tifa, Cloud (well, maybe not her solitary partner so much) and the others, it wouldn't last long. This was the calm before the storm. Like the prelude before the overture. It had always been like that. The longer she stayed, the longer 7th Heaven was in danger; already it was a target sometime in the future. Or so the paradox had revealed during her blackout. Even so, she would die before she let anything happen to them. They had accepted her, sheltered her, and were willingly aiding her in the fight against the chaos. She was aware they had their own reasons, but the fact remained that she had help, and that was enough.

Until she and Cloud found the Artefact to seal the church gate, 7th Heaven was a target, and she was at the center of the crosshairs. It was her fault that they had nearly been incinerated on the road home tonight. Denzel could have died. He didn't, but a menacing "what if?" lingered on the edges of her mind. If she wasn't there the Eidolon wouldn't have attacked them in the first place, that was she knew for certain.

Briefly she asked a quick favor of Etro, to cast upon the bar whatever holy protection goddesses waved around; to spare the innocence of Tifa and the kids from the hazard zone that seemed to surround Lightning 24/7.

Eventually those thoughts quietly faded, leaving her watching the steady movement of the clouds outside as her eyelids became heavier and heavier until, like deadweight, closed. Moments later the soldier had fallen asleep for the second time in 7th Heaven, a hand curled around the lightning pendant she always wore.

For once, Lightning willingly went quiet into that good night.

* * *

><p>"Is that evidence enough for you?"<p>

Lightning's hands uncurled from her arms as she stepped to the edge of the floorboards and peered into the pond, scowling at the darkness. Cloud was kneeled beside her, examining the water himself with the knowledge that the chaos could in no way hurt him. The ex-soldier briefly humored the idea of pushing him in to test his immunity.

"Yeah. Still, what are we going to do about the Chaos down there? Guaranteed it'll be back within a week," she warned.

"Maybe."

"I still can't believe you're immune to this stuff," Lightning muttered.

"You really think I am?"

"I don't know for sure. Go fish and find out," she offered, waving her hand in front of her.

Cloud blinked. "I thought you were the bait."

From the flat tone of his voice and guarded posture, Lightning wasn't sure whether he was kidding or not. She held a laugh back until her own blue eyes met his gaze, finding just a hint of light-heartedness to Cloud she didn't know existed.

"Cute."

Surprisingly, she received a small smile. _Really _small, but still there all the same.

"So, did you contact Shinra yet?"

"No."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing, I haven't talked to him since last night after the storm." Cloud was a man of little words. "He's got a team working on the road to Healin. Until then, he's stuck there. Vincent left before we even made it out the door."

She averted her eyes at the mention of previous AVALANCHE member, Vincent Valentine. There was something about him that alerted her every sense to caution...but why? Had his request really intimidated Lightning _that _much for her to cast out her shell of utmost confidence and send her reeling back on her heels?

Cloud surveyed the room for another moment before turning to her. Without taking his eyes off of the pond he spoke. "What did he ask?"

Her eyes shot over to meet his, surprise written all over her slim face. "You knew?"

"Vincent's not the talkative type but I've known him for a long time. There was something...about him that I've never seen before..."

"Alright," she conceded, knowing exactly what her comrade was referring to. "I'll tell you."

* * *

><p><strong>[<strong>"Demise of the Ritual" – _Shadow of the Colossus_**]**

_Chaos. It was a strange word that rolled off the tongue with breathless ease, emitting a slight hiss at the end when it reached the ears. The otherworldly substance it was named after was even stranger, twisting and turning in an infinite universe, accumulating, waiting...its inhabitance was the Unseen Realm, Valhalla. Born from the space that is inhabited by all dimensions, the darkness made its home in the Invisible World at the hands of the goddess, Etro. Ancient Pulsian Analects spoke of the mystery surrounding chaos' birth and origins. Before there were fal'Cie and the creators of the universe, chaos existed in a uniform whole, constricted around the two Worlds the Maker had forged, birthing the fal'Cie from within the dark confinement of the chaos._

_ And then Etro mustered what little power she had to manipulate the chaos and created humanity, giving each of her creations a part of the chaos within their hearts as mankind was birthed into the Visible World with the purest of hearts...hearts that were kind, vibrant, and beautiful. At the beginning of humanity's dawn, purity was all that existed within the Visible World. _

_Peace was to be the future. _

_The Visible and Invisible Worlds no longer intersected, but instead, were balanced by Etro's act of inventiveness as the chaos was equally dispersed within those two alternate worlds. Etro watched her blooming creation with satisfaction, happy to reside within Valhalla, lonely as she was. She had succeeded in becoming Mwynn's successor as the protector of the worlds' balance of the infinite darkness. As long as the Unseen Gate – the magnificent door that barred free entry and passage to the Visible World from the _In_visible – remained sealed, the chaos could be controlled by Etro in Valhalla and her precious beings safe from its harm. _

_ Once that Gate opened, however, chaos would be unleashed in unstoppable fury, warping all in its path until the Visible World was returned to Valhalla, the Unseen Realm, the Invisible World. Existence outside of Valhalla would vanish, and the world would descend into a doom that it could never wake from. _

_ Millennia passed as Etro steadily grew weaker, her power over the chaos ever so slowly fading, oh so slowly. Unlike Mywnn, however, Etro did not wish to submit herself to permanent death; it was her duty to balance the Worlds and protect them from each other. As the age of the War of Transgression arrived and progressed and the battles waged on, Valhalla was flooded with the dead souls of the Cocoonian and Pulsian battle fields, each bearing their own story of remarkable bravery. In her foolishness and rush to welcome the fallen to Valhalla, Etro unwittingly forgot her throne as the protector of the Worlds and the Unseen Gate crashed open as the souls entered, unleashing a wave of chaos that poured forth unto the blood-stricken steppes of Gran Pulse, _His _most beloved creation. It was there that marked the beginning of the end for the Pulsian warriors in their battle against the floating paradise of Cocoon. Complete and utter catastrophe warped the face of Pulse, sending the Pulsians into a panic as Cocoon remained safe from harm in her lofty seat in the sky. In the final moments of the battle, Ragnarok appeared, soaring through the darkness of Etro's mistake and meeting Cocoon head-on, cracking its shell with fearsome determination. _

_ Once again, Etro chose to intervene with Bhunivelze's plan and forced the Unseen Gate closed again before he could rise, and to account for the tragedy she had unknowingly bestowed upon Gran Pulse, sent the two l'Cie who had summoned Ragnarok's awakening into a deep, crystal sleep to rest for five centuries. _

_The devastation that occurred as a result of her falter caused Etro to retreat further into Valhalla until she no longer resumed a physical form, leaving the rise of the chaos to continue to advance as Bhunivelze waited for the Unseen Gate to appear once more._

* * *

><p><strong>15 HOURS AGO <strong>

_"So that is the nature of the goddess, if what you say is true," Vincent said after Lightning finished. _

_ "I think so."_

_ "You're not sure?" _

_ "Hard to know what's reality anymore. I don't even know if all of these gods exist," she confided in him. "I feel Etro's encouragement, sure, but..."_

_ "Thank you." _

_ "Huh? For what?" _

_ "I know now, what this sinful presence is within me. It's been living alongside my own heart for so long...now that I've found a way to destroy it, I feel..." _

_ "...?" _

_ "Hopeful." _

_ "You can't continue to exist within a life without hope. You just can't." _

_ "I see that now. This is the closest I have ever come to salvation…" _

_ "I never said I _wouldn't _do it, but..."_

_ Lightning sighed and opened her palm, gazing at the navy threads that were stitched along the lining of her right glove. They were like the Historia Crux. One main continuum, connected by an infinite amount of threads of history. She hadn't said so to Vincent – or even Cloud for that matter – but since her heart had nearly ruptured inside the lodge, she had felt gentle whispers of the goddess's council...almost as if... _

_ Vincent's next words were lost to her as she pieced together the nearly inaudible encouragement streaming through her heart...they were pieces of history, the history of the gods, the Maker, and the fal'Cie. The origins of the chaos and its presence within both the Visible and Invisible World. And if this chaotic substance resided within all human beings outside of the universe she knew – the universe that only consisted of Cocoon and Gran Pulse – and was indeed a part of everyone's heart, then what the goddess's memories were saying in her head ringed true. Etro herself was slowly imbedding the history of the world in her heart..._

_ Vincent's past run-in with Hojo birthed the first appearance of Chaos, a large accumulation of the smaller, less dire and singular amount, chaos in a monstrous form...Vincent said that if he so wished, he could take on a beastly form of the god-like creature, Chaos. Yet the creature that lived as half of Vincent's soul had existed _before_ she arrived with Valhalla's influx of chaos..._

_ "You said...you said that Hojo had never succeeded in creating a being so powerful as you, right?" Lightning asked, interrupting Vincent's own inquiry. _

_ "–Correct." _

_ "Okay, I have a theory...it's far-fetched, but right now, I think anything could go." _

_ "Continue." _

_ "Maybe Hojo unknowingly created his own sub-species of chaos...you said that half of yourself was a human with monstrous powers, right? Maybe that half was just the chaos reacting to your own heart and it helped to spawn your Chaos form..." Lightning explained. "When I traveled here with Mont Blanc a few days ago, some of the chaos from Valhalla came with us in the church...after you told me you can control this being, it makes me think...the chaos–"_

_ "Existed in our world before your arrival?" Vincent guessed. _

_ She was taken aback at his deft answer. "Yes, that's exactly it...doesn't it make sense?" _

_ "Perhaps...explain further." _

_ She gave herself a moment to gather her thoughts. _

_ "Right. I think...you can control chaos...you've harnessed a physical form of it through the experiment Hojo made on your body, and that's what gives you special abilities, it has to be." _

_ "That's what I guessed myself," he murmured, watching her intently. _

_ "Yet..." she turned and opened her palm to the rain, gathering a small amount of water in it and looking at the sky's reflection from her hand. "If you knew some of this – or guessed it – what do you expect me to do?" _

_ She was afraid to turn around, to accept his request...yes, she knew exactly what he wanted her to do. His voice and face had been void of any emotion, empty...now, though, she did hear it, that ring of hope and determination lining his words. He wanted this._

_ "I won't force you, but I would owe a lifetime of debt to you if you can lift the darkness from the past. To let me finally... live a normal life," he answered._

_ "I..." _

She wanted to say yes, wanted to relieve him of these sins he spoke of in whispers, to help him out if she had the power to do so...

Of course, as with all human beings, it is in their nature to be selfish. The same went for Lightning. If anything went wrong and something happened to Vincent, she would be to blame. His "salvation" could very well be the death of him... and she could not risk that.

_After approximately one minute she opened her mouth, a small breath escaping. Time seemed to slow as the storm's violent rage faded to a simple background static, the universe phased into silence, waiting for the word. _

_ It never came. _

_ "I'm sorry." _

_ "That is your decision." He didn't even pose it as a question, more like a fact._

_ "I can't, not yet...I need time to think about it," she breathed, wondering if she had made the right decision to reject him so quickly. _

_ Unless she imagined it, his jaw tightened and his eyes bore into hers. She refused to avert her gaze, standing strong. There was no point in him wasting away his life if something went wrong. The time wasn't right. _

_ Not now._

_ "I understand." _

_ "Do you?" she challenged. _

_ A moment later he left her to her thoughts in the ever-falling rain with her question lingering in the air; his red cloak swiftly disappeared behind the lodge's door. She breathed in slowly and tipped her head back in offering to the sky's rain._

_Once more the universe resumed its fated course._

* * *

><p><strong>[<strong>"What the Water Gave Me" – Florence + the Machine**]**

Lightning waited with bated breath for Cloud's reaction, expecting little to none but open to surprise nonetheless. She wasn't wrong.

"You denied him?" Cloud asked incredulously.

"Look at the situation through my eyes," she started to snap, but huffed and pushed the hair out of her face. "What if something happened? What if Vincent _died_? As far as I'm concerned, his 'salvation' isn't coming from my stupid mistake."

"What do you think could happen? We know you can dissolve chaos, I've seen it."

"I don't know, I mean...what if I overdid it and removed the natural chaos in his heart? Isn't that possible?"

"You tell me. I'm not the one with voices in my head from the goddess."

She went to lash at him before holding her tongue, biting down on it. "You really don't hear anything?" she asked, referring to Etro.

He shook his head silently. "Sorry."

Lightning was hesitant to reveal more. "Hey, Cloud, back at the–"

Both soldiers immediately froze, Lightning in mid-sentence; she quietly closed her mouth and flicked open her gunblade, motioning to Cloud through the use of hand signals to flank the front door of the church. She had to admit, working with an ex-soldier had its benefits as he immediately understood as they quickly rushed to cover the opening. A peculiar scraping sound, like something heavy being dragged across dirt reached their ears from outside.

And it was heading straight for the church.

* * *

><p><strong>[<strong>"Blinding" – Florence + the Machine**]**

The footsteps approached closer and closer.

_What the hell _is_ that?_

Lightning's back was pressed against the decaying wall on her right of the door, blade folded into a gun once more and balancing against her shoulder as she looked over to Cloud. He shook his head – he didn't know what was approaching them either.

Whatever it was, there was no denying that it would see Fenrir parked outside. Confrontation was inevitable. The distance between the church's door and the intruder closed until both a sudden moan of pain rang out, shortly followed by a weak cry for help. Cloud met Lightning's eyes in surprise and they lowered their weapons, but not completely.

Lightning's heart beat in thundering pulses as she held her breath.

She tried to convey her thoughts through her eyes and nodded towards the door.

_'Well, what now?' _

"Somebody, please help me! _S-shit...!_"

Lightning dove from cover, rounding around the door before Cloud could even react and block her way. That voice was too familiar not to write off as coincidence; and she was right as her eyes fell to the stairs below her at a figure in blue stumbling in blind confusion.

"Sergeant Ghost...?!"

The Blazefire Saber clattered to her side as she rushed to catch the falling soldier, ignoring the tendrils of chaos entwining around his body. On contact the chaos hissed and swirled around her arms, encasing them in a thin layer of gossamer tendrils. Immediately she could feel the effects of the substance as it rushed to enclose around her body, multiplying and transferring from Ghost's body to hers. Waves of heaviness poured forth and she doubled over Ghost, breathing heavily.

"Cloud..." she coughed, bidding him to her side.

Immediately, the man was on his knee across from her, completely unfazed by the chaos; it seemed to curiously approach him and gently gather beneath his knees, but went no further, bereft of the hostility it showed his comrade. Concerned, he pushed Lightning's head back up with a hand to her shoulder pauldron, shocked to see the chaos retreat the moment he made contact with her skin. The chaos had begun to creep up her neck...and then it was gone as if willed away by some invisible force. Lightning's muscles relaxed as the foreign threat left from her body and she tried in vain to keep from shuddering even as a chilling shiver rippled through her spine as the last whispers of the chaos vanished beneath Ghost; unconscious in his attempt to escape what could have only been a paradox.

"Lightning?"

Her body felt so cold, icy to the touch...was this the power of the chaos? She had survived this encounter, but only because of the man know leaning over her in concern, she realized. As soon as she so much as _touched _Ghost's body it had fled from him and attacked, suffocating her. Her former comrade-in-arms' body was equally cold to the touch as the chaos slowly retreated back onto him, fearless.

His voice became more urgent as she struggled to come to.

"_Lightning_–!"

"Shut up for a second," she snapped, if a bit more weaker than intended, slowly opening her eyes to find Cloud a little too close for comfort.

"Don't do that again," he said, removing his hold on her.

Ghost's body was gently laid on the stairs while she took a second to move back and lean on her knee, holding her head down in an effort to clear the black spots that exploded in her head. What _was _that stuff?

"I didn't know...you were the one in charge."

"Don't tire yourself out, just sit there for a second," he commanded, ignoring her and moving around Ghost's body to stand between her and the source of darkness without another word.

She gladly accepted and remained in a position with her head curled in, still swimming with the most eerie and exotic voices she had ever heard.

_Could it be…the voice of the chaos? _

"You know him?" Cloud asked, sliding back the spandex shirt from beneath his Guardian Corps uniform. After pressing his thumb to the pulse point beneath the man's wrist he laid it back down. "He's still breathing, but it's shallow."

"Yeah...he was...he was in the same regiment as me. Hasn't been promoted since I joined. Right before I was sucked into–" Another sharp chill spiraled through her, making her shake her head quickly. She waved away Cloud's concern before continuing on. "...Before I was sucked into Valhalla, he had told my friends and I to hide out the initial backlash from Cocoon's people. During the battle against the fal'Cie, our government had fed them all propaganda to hide their façade...soiled their minds into thinking we were monsters, criminals, traitors. Naturally, after Cocoon was crystallized we were to blame in their eyes. After that, well, you already know what happened."

"..."

"What should we do with him?"

"We have to leave him here until I can get Elena and Tseng to take him into quarantine," Cloud muttered hastily, averting his eyes from Lightning's piercing gaze.

_"What?"_

"It's an emergency procedure Rufus and I discussed after the meeting yesterday. We agreed that if we ever found a victim of a paradox, I'd bring him to them. He has a team of Turks waiting to begin research on all of this."

"_Rufus _said that?"

"Verbatim."

"Why?"

Weak as she was, Lightning couldn't help but feel disappointed...even sad, maybe. Shocked that Cloud expected her to willingly hand in someone to be...experimented on! And least of all, a former co-worker!

"No, that's not happening. I know Ghost. I can talk to him, we can–"

"Lightning–"

"I don't care about what you and Rufus talked about behind my back, but I'm telling you now, you're not taking this man into Shinra to be tested on. Not when Ghost has probably just been through hell and is lying beneath us, half-dead!" she growled, voice raising dangerously.

"This man isn't going anywhere near the town. I have to protect Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel." Cloud's voice hardened, undeterred. "Protecting you isn't my problem."

Her hand curled into a fist and they both clearly heard the navy glove's leather stretching against her tightened hand; Cloud's eyebrow raised in mock challenge, one she would gladly meet. "Right, whenever 7th Heaven is going up in flames and chaos I'll remember that. Until then, save it."

For a second more the two soldiers glared into each other's eyes until Cloud finally broke contact, meaning to storm off to the bike but conveniently remembering what would happen if he left the chaos on its own. Whether they approved it or not, Etro needed them both.

"Fine." Cloud rigidly stood and placed his enormous sword on his back. "Do what you want."

Lightning closed her eyes in frustration and ground her teeth in anger. Why was he so adamant on sending Ghost in to become a simple test subject of the Turks? As for her, she was relieved to see such a familiar face...once he was rid of the chaos, she could finally get word on how her sister was doing, how Snow, Sazh, and Hope were doing...perhaps the four of them were looking for her now? She longed to be at their sides now, if not to at the very least be able to confide in them with the knowledge that they would understand her completely, memories of their previous ordeal bonding them together. Surely, they would be together now. After what they had experienced, nothing could divide their friendship. It would certainly be more stable than what she and Cloud were dealing with now.

However, above it all, Lightning hoped with all her heart Serah was safe and sound, praying the paradox had not affected her and thrown her into another dimension. Which brought her back to the reality she resided in.

With Cloud's presence nearby, the chaos seemed to morph into a neutral state and simply swirled along Ghost's torso and legs, slithering like a snake with ten times more power than a simply dose of venom. Voices had emitted from the darkness, too, whispering demonic nothings in the faintest, most inaudible tone she had ever heard. Did it matter at all?

As Lightning contemplated what to do next, the fellow Sergeant's face began to pale and convulse sickeningly, a bulge in the man's neck increasing until with a disgusting bout of coughing the man, half-conscious, began to vomit black globs of hideous matter where she had been sitting not a second before jumping out of harm.

"Cloud!" She carefully reached around Ghost's back and tried to put him in a kneeling position so he could retch without choking. "Help me get him up, I think he's coming to."

Together they moved him to the right side of the church's opening on a relatively flat piece of land. Debris littered as far as the eye could see, poking their skin as they kneeled behind the grimace-inducing man.

"What's happening to him?"

"I'm not sure...he had to have come through a paradox, there's no other explanation," she answered, pushing aside her negative feelings towards the ex-soldier and focusing on the immediate concern. "But this chaos, he's throwing it up..."

"It's overloading his human heart?" Cloud guessed.

"This is what Vincent was talking about, damnit..."

"What? What did he say?"

"Never mind that, we need to get him out of here."

"And do what?"

"Not taking him to Shinra, that's for damn sure."

"Do you want him to die? Lightning, that chaos is going to eat him from the inside out. What's your brilliant plan?"

"I really don't need that right now, Cloud."

Ghost continued to heave onto the darkened ash, mounds of chaos pouring from his mouth in a considerably heavier mass than what was normal. Cloud's presence had in fact helped to neutralize the chaos's travel, yet it had only retreated within Ghost's body. For a human, that was as good as knocking on death's door.

Suddenly Cloud had an idea. "You told Vincent you couldn't heal him because you'd never tried to physically remove the chaos from someone's body, right? Here's your chance."

"...Sure, but–"

Ghost trembled in her arms, his body convulsing as his body began to shut down, the chaos overtaking his normal functions and bending them to its indomitable will; although he wasn't retching anymore, he was now going into shock. It was now or never. Do or die.

Frantic, Lightning twisted the sergeant onto his back once more and quickly tipped her head to the sky, muttering a quick prayer to the goddess before she looked over to Cloud. Almost all trace of anger from their argument was gone. Instead, he raised his hand and extended his palm towards her in provisional truce. A hand gloved in blue met his halfway as a brief look of understanding passed between them. Lightning nodded and released his hand, listening for Cloud's retreating footsteps until he was well behind her several yards.

Immediately, the chaos rose up in an effort to ascend her body again.

_"Etro, please be my guiding light..." _

An influx of warmth flowed through her heart again, so crisp and hot it seemed to singe every bone in her body in a blaze of the deity's light, only offset by the radiant white magic that burst from the pond of her hand, trails of complex light spiraling around her arm and descending from her heart to the tips of her fingers. Lightning barely had enough time to think before a peculiar sensation came over her, as her fingers were being moved by a greater force than she had the power to wield...it was the goddess herself, guiding her hand to Ghost's heart and laying it against the navy leather of his uniform and pressing hard.

On instinct, Lightning's eyes closed on the goddess's accord and a hand fisted above her own heart. The light that freely cascaded onto Ghost's body quickened in pace until with a start, Ghost's torso heaved upwards, eager to rid itself of the chaos. She could feel the thr ob of the enormous, colossal power that had birthed from Valhalla's goddess, shaking through her skull, through her spine, exhilarated by the shake of the immense force from the fist that the light exploded from. At all of it, the core of such an immense radiance...her heart pulsed.

Light and darkness clashed as Lightning's magic met it head-on in a battle for dominance, clutching the very darkness from the motionless body and ripping it away, demolishing every last particle until only a steady stream of chaos remained, following Etro's fading light until with a gentle hiss it disappeared alongside the entrails of the magic, the sudden weight of its retreat knocking Lightning back on her heels, hand still tightly covering her heart and eyes closed in concentration.

It wasn't until Etro had retreated – her astonishing powers dwindling as well – that Lightning was able to control her body once more, swooning backwards, dazed. Her heartbeat pumped strong in her chest but her breath was ragged and shallow, a mirror image of Ghost just minutes ago. Slowly, feeling crept into her arms again and she stood, leaning against the dilapidated wall of the church and taking a much-needed moment of rest.

She looked up to find Cloud, who was cautiously walking towards her. A thumbs-up was all she could muster.

And then it hit her. A moment of revelation so painful, so dark, dangerous, so, so painful...

Her knees hit the ground again. The sensation, white-hot and torturous, stabbed into her heart where the light had been recalled like a knife, searing her skin and carving deep into it, face twisting in pain. For a brief moment she wondered if Odin was coming to test his master once more. Surely the Eidolon could not unleash this kind of torture; but Odin was never cruel, no...this was her enemy. Trembles wracked her body as her vision winked in and out, spiraling into a black tunnel that ascended a thousand miles in the sky, closing out everything in her peripheral vision. Even Cloud's brilliant, cerulean eyes seemed eons away.

And then the sensation of falling through a sea of darkness overcame her as she sank into oblivion, experiencing nothing more but loss despite her dramatic achievement and victory over the chaos.

Cloud's voice–shouting her name in alarm–was all that she heard before darkness closed in all around her.

* * *

><p><em>I'm dead, I'm really dead. <em>

Drifting in a sea of chaos.

_It...it can't be. _

A faint light emanating a mile from the surface.

_Please, I can't be dead. Not now. _

There is no water, only an eternity of darkness below and comforting light above her.

_I have to get out of here..._

Feathers float aimlessly, soft and beautiful.

_Head for the light, Farron…don't look back._

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>I hope the beginning wasn't too confusing, but here's a quick recap if it was:

-the chaos existed on the Planet's surface way before Lightning arrived with Monty through the time gate in Aerith's church unlike they previously thought.

-as a hidden result of Hojo's experiment on Vincent, he has the ability to turn into the beast known as Chaos because of the enormous amount of chaos residing within his heart. This is possibly something that Hojo discovered – chaos within a human's heart – and exploited it (Lucretia awakened it), increasing it to the enormous font of power Vincent can tap into to enter what I like to call, "badass beastly mode." Some of you tried to correct me and tell me Vincent's eyes are red (I'm well aware they normally are, don't worry!). Now you know why they're gold; they're simply reacting to the chaos in his heart.

-Lightning has the goddess-given ability to eliminate and dispose of all forms of chaos within a reasonably small form at this time of her new power's progression. Vincent's request stems from the fact that he wants Lightning to dispose of his Chaos form and essentially dissolve every last bit of chaos from his body in an effort to finally rid himself of past sins.

-On another side note, Etro's "council" that is mentioned in the flashback is the quiet, gentle stream of information the goddess is offering through Lightning's heart because of her status as the first and foremost Guardian of Valhalla. Basically, even though Lightning doesn't always hear Etro's murmurings, over time she is continually receiving info about the history of the Maker, the fal'Cie, etc. and processing it until it essentially becomes history in her mind, though Lightning is aware that the goddess is offering it to her.

This chapter was just plain awesome to write. I nearly wrote that Lightning punched Cloud, but decided against it to avoid the unnecessary (but delicious) drama. Oh, and thought Sergeant Ghost was just a random add-on? THINK AGAIN! He made his first appearance in Chapter II!

Take it easy,

-**Cranberry Knight-XIII**


	16. A Deity's Dogma

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I had just been chastising myself for being sketchy on the story updates when I finally decided to peek at other FFVIIxXIII fics…and then I realized I probably have the longest chapter updates in here… (I'm not trying to boast or anything, but I did notice people seem to update with very short chapters)...so my question for you, the readers, is would you rather have shorter, faster updates? Or longer and more polished updates, albeit with a longer waiting period in between? Honestly I prefer the latter, as I feel more confident in updating with something longer and where you actually have to sit down for fifteen minutes plus (depending on how fast you read) and read a 5,000 word+ update. Though...this one is still fairly "long" by Fanfiction standards, I suppose... :/

If you could answer that in a **review**, I thank you! I loved reading the last batch! Some of you might be able to guess where the plot is headed. My job is to make sure I keep you guessing the whole way through...in a good way, though. I really want to hear your thoughts on this chapter, as I worked my butt off to not only produce as high quality of writing as I can, but also faster than usual.

Valiantly,

**Cranberry Knight-XIII**

* * *

><p><strong>.:<span>WORLDS COLLIDE<span>:. **

_Chapter XVI – A Deity's Dogma _

**[**"Dust to Dust" – _Final Fantasy XIII_**]**

Father's death.

Mother's death.

If Lightning could make out one damn thing in the darkness that enveloped her in its suffocating clutches, it would be her hand. And attached to her hand was five fingers, slender and gloved as usual.

And she could count on three fingers the number of times she had cried her entire lifetime. As a child and teenager she had been more preoccupied with drying Serah's tears than her own...she was her sister and after her father died, Serah's well-being became her priority. Their mother had distanced herself from her children after their father died, often spending silent nights alone on the small balcony of their old home. Each night that a storm raged across Bodhum, Lightning could expect to find her fragile mother gazing at the sky with a loneliness and somberness in her eyes that made her own heart ache. She longed to see her father again but never neglected her family, devoting her time to her studies and spending time with the younger Farron. Perhaps...in place of their father, Lightning herself became the household protector.

And then Mother died.

Gone.

Adrift in the sea of chaos, Lightning clearly remembered the memory of the morning she woke up to find her mother dead in the hospital bed as she cradled her hand to her chest in her own dreaming state.

Lightning partly blamed her mother for her weakness; if she had been in that position, nothing would have kept her from staying in the world of the living with the younger Farrons.

Perhaps it was foolish to blame it on her deceased mother. Yet even now she needed a catalyst for her pain.

With no other family to address, Lightning was forced to hear the official announcement from the doctor who had tended to Mrs. Farron the morning the two awoke to find her dead, leaving Lightning and Serah Farron to live on their own as orphans.

She had cried. Oh, she had cried tears that stained her life forever. No visible evidence could be seen now, but she could _feel _it.

Her father's death had already divided the family between herself and her mother...was the world so cruel as to deliver more punishment when her mother died? What sin had she committed so atrocious that she deserved to experience that? To lose your parents, to be abandoned in an unforgiving world?

A lump formed in her throat as she gently floated through the abyss, peacefully resting with her eyes closed. Time did not exist in this world. When she had last seen Cloud and Sergeant Ghost could have been hours, or maybe even months ago. She didn't know. In the silence of this sea of chaos she only felt memories...memories of her past, her sins, wishes, dreams, failures, victories... There was no fighting this alien force of darkness that pushed her from the light that shot through the chaos around her, so tantalizingly close. Yet something was holding her back, forcing her limbs from propelling her to the surface.

After several long minutes – or she thought – Lightning realized that she couldn't hear Etro's voice. Only the eerie shriek of the chaos around her. That must have ruled out Valhalla...right?

Briefly she wondered if Cloud had since driven back to 7th Heaven...or perhaps, delivered Ghost's unconscious form and her own dead body to Rufus Shinra despite her desperation to preserve her old friend, to hear one comforting scrap of news that could tell her something... _anything _about Serah and the others. After Cloud's betrayal – she hated to dramatize it – she wasn't sure if she could trust him one hundred percent. She had before Ghost showed up. What changed?

When Lightning thought about it, Cloud had every reason to leave her to die, to find the Artefact on her own and abandon the journey to become Etro's guardians. He had a family to protect and she presented a risk to them. The opening of the time gate in Aerith's church, the attack of the chaos on the second day, Bahamut's murder attempt after the meeting with the Turks...

_I'm putting them in danger to save Serah...to save my friends. _

Sure, she didn't need to bother adding in the fact that everything she did now was to save the timeline from corrupting and chaos eroding the Planet, but when it boiled down to it, her primary goal was to rid the world of the paradoxes and aid Etro and return the Worlds' balance of chaos to normal. For Serah.

Was it sinful to risk the life of one for the life of the universe?

_No_, one side told her. Serah was her sister, and damn the world if it meant saving her.

The "yes" was so faint she simply chose to ignore it.

Lightning absentmindedly kicked her feet to try and move faster, to no avail.

As much as she hated to admit it...she wanted to protect both. Etro, she sounded like Snow...

"So why is it that I'm here?"

No one answered. Not that she expected anyone to.

In this strange weightlessness, Lightning was free to reflect on...everything. Free from the burden of time, she could willingly reach back into the past and be unashamed to shed a silent tear over her parents' deaths. As long as she could remember who she was in the chaos, nothing else mattered.

She wasn't even sure she was dead but as long as she remained here, nothing else was real.

_Look into the mirror of the past and the reflection of the future will reveal itself. _

That voice again! Stronger now, yet still entrapped in a weak whisper. A fierce sensation burned once again in her heart, but it was dull and unimpressive.

"Etro?"

...

The goddess was gone again.

Lightning frowned in the darkness. "You know, I really need to get your number on speed dial...this is really getting old," she grumbled.

A soft chuckle reached her ears. This time, it warmed her heart in a beautiful glow, as if the goddess were smiling down at her. As a result Lightning herself smiled gently despite the circumstances.

A moment later she suddenly felt herself falling into another deep period of repose at the hand of the goddess, a gentle encouragement that steadily grew more forceful.

Knowing exactly what was coming next, Lightning fought against her, refusing to cooperate; she didn't want to relive that memory, no. Even now the pain was hard to forget. She knew exactly what was coming next, and it terrified her.

The goddess's power resonated within her heart and the soldier capitulated, cast out and cast down deeper into the abyss...

Dreaming of the dead.

* * *

><p><strong>SEVEN YEARS AGO<strong>

_"Hey, what are you spacing out for, Claire?" _

_ The said teenager jerked herself back to reality after feeling a weird, tingling sensation in her chest. Until her sister had broken her concentration she had been in the process of gazing across the golden beaches of Bodhum, enjoying the cool afternoon breeze wafting from the ocean. Really, Bodhum was the best place to live in on Cocoon. _

_ "Nothing," she replied, elbowing Serah, her younger sister, in the stomach. "So, how was school today?" _

_ "Oh my gosh, Claire, you won't believe it...!" Serah gushed, eyes wide open in excitement. _

_ Claire smiled softly while listening to her sister tell a story of some boy she had spied across the campus at the small public school she and Serah attended, grades K-12. The buildings were divided among the age groups and although Claire was always happy to see her sister's radiant face smiling at her from across the hallways, sometimes her energy was a little tough to endure after a difficult day at school. On the other hand, it was a relief to be around such positivity... especially since–_

_ "Claire, can we visit Mom today?" Serah asked, shifting the thick history book in her hand. "We haven't been there since last weekend!" _

_ There it was. That painful twinge that turned her stomach upside down. _

_ It had been nearly four weeks since the eldest Farron – Claire's mother – had fallen deathly ill. Claire had called in sick to school for the first two weeks until finally dialing family friend Officer Amodar of the Guardian Corps to check on her. By then their mother had become unresponsive to Claire's desperate calls and was taken immediately into Eden for treatment. The Farrons had only visited her twice since her admission but already Claire was feeling the strain of the whole thing._

_ Doctor Rydia – their mother's assigned doctor and caretaker – informed her as the next eldest Farron still alive that chances were slim her mother would survive the illness; a cure was nowhere in sight and nearly a hundred other civilians had already died from the sickness. The news horrified her. That had been five days ago. She hadn't heard a word from the hospital since then. _

_ Despite it all, for the sake of her sister, Claire smiled tightly and answered the eager Farron. "Sorry, Serah. Amodar's in Palumpolum this weekend with the Missus." _

_ Serah stuck out her lower lip in disappointment. "I wish you could drive..." _

_ "Just a few more months and I can." _

_ "Oh, Claire! Can we take a trip to Palumpolum one of these days? I want to go shopping there and you need a new wardrobe, sis!" joked Serah, laughing freely. _

_ Claire looked down at the red, gold, and black school uniform she wore, throwing Serah a frown. Nothing about it was out of the ordinary. Maroon, plaited skirt that went above the knee just a few inches, long-sleeve black coat that buttoned together with gold fasteners, and flat-heeled, black boots reaching to her knees. Then she shifted her gaze to Serah's ponytail-and-frills, laughing out loud. _

_ "What's wrong with _my_ outfit?" she asked defensively, tugging on the back of Serah's ponytail._

_ "It's just kind of...borin – Hey, ouch!"_

_ "You were saying?" Claire taunted, holding her sister back with a hand to her forehead. She stood a full four inches above Serah, and height assured who was the boss. _

_ Serah gave up and instead changed the subject. "So, can we?" _

_ Claire looked down at her sister's pleading, bright blue eyes and a sad smile crossed her face. Before she knew it, tears had sprung into her eyes, but she quickly turned her face to the Bodhum sun, wishing its rays could just wash away...all of this._

_ "Tell you what, Serah," she finally spoke after a minute. _

_ "Yeah?" _

_ "When Mom gets to feeling better the three of us will take a nice, long vacation to Palumpolum, okay? Maybe even Eden, too," Claire said, trying to put on a strong front so Serah didn't see the worry permanently etched into her face. _

_ "Really?! You're the best, Claire! Mom'll love it!" Serah smiled brightly at her. _

Is she hiding her feelings just as much as I am?

_ They walked on for a few more minutes until Claire suddenly stopped at the edge of a staircase leading down to the beachfront near the local beach house café. It only took her a moment to make up her mind before Claire folded her arms and nudged Serah's shoulder to get her attention. _

_ "And then th–what?"_

_ "How 'bout we take an hour and have a bit of fun before I leave for Miss Morgan's?" Claire suggested, throwing her thumb over her shoulder at the beach. It was normally against their mothers' rules to get into any distractions until they were home and finished homework, but with the beach so tantalizingly close and reality too painful to confront, Claire wanted her own breath of fresh air before she stepped inside their oddly quiet home once again. _

_ Her sister peered over at her oddly. "You sure you're okay, Claire? We never get to do this!" Claire nodded._

_ "Just this once!" she yelled, before Serah dumped her bag in Claire's hands and zoomed off to meet the ocean waves, taking off her shoes and socks in the process. Several of the school's students dotted the beach. _

_ Unworried, Claire stayed behind and took a seat on a wooden bench that gave her a clear view of Serah. Just in case. Forty minutes passed as Serah found her friend and together they walked along the beach, staying within sight._

_ Before her thoughts drifted to the negative times she was in a boy of her age suddenly sat down to her left with an exasperated sigh. Claire looked over in surprise, subconsciously feeling a slight pink tinge sweeping across her cheeks; she had been staring into space like an idiot. _

_ "Hey," the boy said, giving her a sideways glance before leaning back with his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. He wore the male's school uniform from the same high school she attended. _

_ "Hey." _

_ Claire noticed a few haphazard strands of her pale, pink hair had fallen out of place. She quickly flicked them out of the way._

_ "You're Farron, right?" _

_ "What? Oh, uh, yeah," she answered quickly. "I'm sorry, I don't remember your–" _

_ His hand shot out. "Cecil, nice to meet you. Sophomore, aren't you?" She briefly caught a glimpse of something dark beneath his wrist, but it was gone when she tried to look again._

_ Mystified, Claire shook his hand. He sure had a strong grip, that was for sure. "Yeah, I am. You?" _

_ "Junior." _

_ "Oh. Neat." _

_ They sat in silence for a few more minutes and Claire began to tap her finger on her knee impatiently, looking around for Serah. Still the boy sat, as if he had all the time in the world to lounge by the sea. Claire wished she could do the same, but she still had to get Serah home, grab a few groceries from the market, check on Old Miss. Morgan's lawn, visit Amodar's place and feed his dog, then finally come home to clean the house. _

_ When she finally caught Serah's eye she motioned her over and began to stand, clearing her throat to announce her departure. One of the boy's eyes opened lazily, then closed again. _

_ "Leaving so soon?" _

_ "Yeah, I uh...have a lot of things to do," she answered him._

_ "What? The weekend starts tomorrow!"_

_ "Sorry to disappoint you," she said hastily before tugging her sister behind her the way home, ignoring Serah's excited questions about Cecil. _

_ "Come on, Sis, what did he say to you? Did he know your name?" _

_ Claire continued on, walking fast without a glance backward. Ten more minutes and they would be home. _

_ "Cla–" _

_ She halted in the middle of the road. "Serah." _

_ "What?" _

_ "You didn't notice anything strange about that guy?" she asked quietly, staring ahead. _

_ "No...why, what's wrong?" Serah suddenly became concerned as she saw her older sister's face. _

_ "What uniform was he wearing?" _

_ "Uh...same as yours...?" _

_ "No...that was a winter uniform. The guys all wear short-sleeved shirts and light pants in the summer uniforms." _

_ "Well, maybe he just...felt like wearing that." _

_ "I saw the underside of his wrist, Serah. There was the same black goo that was on Mom the day we took her to Eden." _

_ Serah's eyes widened. "You mean there's someone sick _here?"

_"Yeah." _

_ "Whoa...But, he's sick! We have to go help him!" Serah started to run back before Claire held her arm, towing her towards their house that just now had popped into view around a row of trees. _

_ "He didn't seem too worried about it; come on, we only have an hour until I have to leave." _

_ Serah started to resist, but thought better of it and followed her sister, trying to read her troubled eyes. "Something wrong, Sis? Worried about him? You'll see him at school...well, hopefully." _

_ "Yeah, hopefully."_

* * *

><p><em>The house was deathly quiet.<em>

_ All of the shutters except for the pair flanking the family TV in the wide living room were closed, bathing the interior of the house in various patches of Phoenix's dim moonlight, spliced into rectangle shapes. Claire counted them from the couch, still dressed in her school uniform; Serah had shambled into bed about two hours earlier at 8:00. _

_ What was the time...? _

_ Claire stood tiredly and moved into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes and peering at the bright red numbers above the electric stove: 10:23. _

_ As Phoenix centered itself in the sky Claire sat atop the cushioned stool overlooking the kitchen, staring at a plastic rectangle attached to a speaker that was voice-activated. She stared and stared and stared until her eyes burned with dryness. She could only guess she looked like hell – disheveled uniform from sleeping on the couch, bloodshot, blue eyes, and light shadows under her eyelids. _

_ Waiting for the call that was inevitable._

_ As she sat her thoughts drifted to the strange boy who had clearly been sick with the same disease her mother was bed-ridden for. The strange, black coating that covered the skin was on his wrist, just barely hidden by the sleeve of his uniform. It made her sick to her stomach now, but when she thought about it, the base of his neck that was covered by the heavy scarf worn with the winter uniforms was a slight pattern of dark veins... _

Mom looks the same way now, _she thought, wishing she could confide her worry in someone, anyone...someone older. _

_ Someone like Dad. _

_ In a fit of anger at the unfairness of it all, Claire picked up their wireless phone – the illuminated screen coming to life as she did so – and hurled it across the room, cringing when it put a dent in the wall of their living room with a sturdy thunk. For a few seconds she could hear nothing but her own heavy breathing until the recognizable _woosh _of Serah's sliding door sounded and her sister appeared around the corner, frowning at the noise._

_ "Sis...what was that? Is something wrong?" she yawned. _

_ Before Claire could open her mouth to answer, the phone suddenly emitted three loud, chiming notes. Claire froze, praying she was going insane. An agonizing three seconds passed before another set of chirps filled the room. She flinched with each new ring._

_ "Who's calling so late at night?" Serah asked, rubbing her eyes. _

_ Claire shook her head and rushed for the phone, picking it up from the ground and squinting at the caller ID: _

"D-RYDIA:EDEN-GH"

_With no choice left, she pressed the call-receive button, holding her trembling hand to her ear. _

_ "Hello...? Claire, is that you?"_

Doctor Rydia.

_"Y-Yes. I'm here, Doctor," she finally answered, looking over her shoulder at Serah. Her sister was now stumbling towards her in half excitement and fear, falling to her knees and pushing an ear towards the speaker in the phone. Claire didn't object. _

_ "I apologize for the late call, but it's an emergency," the woman spoke in a formal voice, yet tinged with exhaustion. _

_ "Please, what's happened?"_

_ She held the phone in a death grip. _

_ The doctor breathed out slowly. _

_ "Claire, it's your mother. She's asked for you two to come immediately." _

_ Every nerve in her body seemed to freeze, painfully cold. _

_ Serah shook beside her. _

_ "Why, what happened? Is she okay?!" _

_ "Claire, I know you shouldn't have to hear this...honey, your mother isn't going to live. She requested you two to come tonight, as soon as you can," Doctor Rydia's voice shrank to a whisper. "Please, Claire. We did everything we could. Just...I'll be waiting in the lobby when you arrive."_

_ "C-Claire...?" Serah whimpered, turning towards her with shock knitting her eyebrows together. The phone dropped as Claire wrapped her sister in a tight embrace, hiding her tears in her sister's soft, pink hair. Serah began to cry, sobbing against Claire's chest. _

_ "I'm so sorry, Serah," Claire whispered, her body shaking. "I'm so sorry..."  
>"H-How could Mom get this bad? We were supposed to g-go to...Palumpolum together...shop for Mom's new clothes...get you a new uniform," Serah protested, looking up at her with hurt darkening her bright, blue eyes. "She can't...this isn't..." <em>

_ "Shh, it's okay, it's okay..." _

_ For another five minutes they simply cried into one another, the realization that they were going to lose their mother throwing the world into a dark contrast of black and grey. The boys Serah had seen at school, the classmate who introduced himself to Claire...nothing mattered anymore. Their father was dead. Mother was dying. _

_ As Serah changed into her school outfit again Claire called a cab, waiting on the front balcony overlooking the ocean. Phoenix's nightlight shone brightly, casting a pale blanket over the water. Claire stared out in silence, eyes frozen until the headlights of the cab flashed over the driveway._

_ Without another word, they stepped inside the aerial cab. Claire gave the driver a handful of Gil as they loaded into the back, speaking no more until, an hour later, their ride drifted to a stop. _

_ Sister and sister stepped out, looking up at the luminescent letters of the Eden General Hospital that reflected in the pools of water that had begun to gather as a storm passed overhead. Hurriedly they rushed inside, ignoring the sympathetic glances civilians gave them as they hurried into the lobby. _

_ Claire had never hated to see someone so bad, but as Doctor Rydia, caretaker of Mrs. Farron during her stay, met them she felt an irresistible urge to scream and demand...why? Why _my _mother? Why must she be a statistic?! Why isn't she recovering like half of your other patients?_

_ She knew what the headlines would be tomorrow: _

"Another victim to the mysterious illness rampaging across Cocoon died last night in the care of the doctors at Eden General Hospital...a woman of forty years old passed away, leaving her two daughters orphaned after a previous accident killed the children's father many years ago. Details about this disease are still relatively unknown, but if you see anyone with possible symptoms of this mysterious epidemic, please call your local Guardian Corps PDC center immediately–"

_ "Claire, come on..." Serah murmured, wrapping her hand around Claire's and tugging her toward Rydia. _

_ "Sorry..." she breathed, blinking to clear her thoughts. Rydia led them to the second floor, passing hundreds of bleach-white rooms. Other doctors and assistants rushed by them, carrying stretchers, bed carts, supplies... _

_ PSICOM said the sickness would pass...that it wasn't dangerous or fatal,_ _she recalled. They lied._

_Rydia silently opened the door to room 13-B, holding it wide as the two Farrons approached the corner where their mother lay._

* * *

><p>"Mom!"<p>

_Serah ripped her hand from Claire's grasp and sprinted towards the far left corner, throwing back the hospital curtain. As Claire followed in her wake she couldn't help but notice the pattern of the fabric: crystals. _

_ Claire slowly moved around her sister, a lump forming in her throat as she lay eyes on her mother, thinned by sickness and deathly pale. Disheveled, pink hair fanned out around her mother's head, but it was thin and dry...colorless. Although she had once had beautiful green irises, they were nearly a murky brown-green now, only emitting a small spark of life as they slowly moved over to the girl now kneeling beside her bed. _

_ "Mother? Mother, can you hear me?" Claire whispered, taking her hand and moving to the other side of the bed. She ran a shaking hand through her mother's hair, holding her breath. An IV was imbedded in the underside of her arm: medicine that had no purpose. _

_ After a minute of no movement the woman slowly lifted her hand, wincing as she did so and gripping the edge of the mask that covered her nose and mouth. She fumbled with it until, gently, Claire pried it from her grasp and moved it to her neck. _

_ Immediately she began to cough violently. In alarm, Claire started to reach for the emergency phone mounted on the wall but was stopped by her mother's hand squeezing hers. _

_ "Claire...Serah...my darlings…" _

_ "Mother? What do you need? I'll get you anything, you'll be okay, you're just–" _

_ "Claire," she said gently. Her voice was broken and raspy._

_ "Yes?" _

_ "It's...okay." _

_ Tears leaked from Claire's reluctant eyes, spilling onto their intertwined hands. She squeezed her eyes shut in anger, in hurt. _

_ "No, it's not! This shouldn't be happening, it's not fair...please, Mother...stay with us," she pleaded, gazing into her mother's eyes. "I can't lose you...not after Dad, not…" _

_ "Shh..." her mother chided, smiling weakly. But another bout of coughing overtook her, and she sat back in pain. _

_ Serah dug her head into the bed and sobbed. _

_ "Mom..." _

_ "Come on, darling...lay here with me." Serah reluctantly climbed into the bed with their mother, fitting into her side just as she did as a baby, wrapping her arm around her healthy shoulders despite the effort it required. "It's alright, Miss Rydia won't mind." _

_ Claire brought a chair over and leaned her head against her mother's shoulder, cradling her hand to her chest. Serah sniffed quietly. Sighing in peace the dying woman breathed heavily, but began to speak. _

_ "How was school...today?" She gently nudged the younger Farron's shoulder, smiling in encouragement. _

_ Serah looked over to Claire, who nodded silently. _

_ "It was good...but..." _

_ "Hush, don't think about the bad things. Etro knows I've been wallowing in them these last few weeks...did you meet any new friends?" _

_ As Serah began to reluctantly recount their day, becoming more animated as their mother's responses grew just a bit stronger, Claire quirked her eyebrow in confusion. She'd...never heard her mother say that before..._

_ "Claire, honey?" _

_ "Oh, yeah...it was fine. But, Mother, I really think you should rest. Talking is going to wear you out," she answered hastily. _

_ "Claire. I'm spending these last hours with you two...my pride and joy..." The pitch of her voice fluctuated, cracked. _

_ "Mom's right," Serah echoed emotionlessly. _

_ The three lay in silence for a few minutes. Claire gently rubbed her mother's thumb in her hand, feeling her pulse beneath her hand. It beat slowly. _

_ "Serah, do you remember your father?" the woman suddenly asked. _

_ "Not much. Just what he looked like, really. Why? You've asked me that a million times." _

_ "Your father was the most wonderful man I've ever met. And what a strange meeting it was."_

_ Claire picked up on a slight, mischievous tone in her mother's words. She looked up to find her eyes clearer than they were when they entered 13-A. _

Please get better, _**please**__. _

_ "I don't think Serah's heard the story," Claire said. _

_ "We have all of the time in the world. I'll tell you. Do you two remember Officer Amodar promoting your father into his unit?" _

_ "Yes," they answered together. _

_ "Of course your father was excited beyond words. He'd been stationed in the Peaks for so long that I think anything prettier than a scrap of metal was beauty to him...when he joined the Bodhum Security Regiment, he was elated. He and Officer Amodar got into all kinds of trouble on their silly missions." _

_ "Claire wants to join the military one day," Serah put in. _

_ Claire gazed solemnly into her mother's eyes. She had never said it out loud to anyone but her sister, but it was true. In her father's honor. _

_ "I'm happy for you...your dad would be proud to know that," she said, closing her eyes. "You'd make a great soldier, Claire."_

_ "Do you need to rest, Mom?" _

_ "...No, no, I'm fine...and anyways...he and his unit decided to stop by the café for dinner..." _

_ "Dad got drunk...?!" Serah exclaimed, giggling and tears dried. _

_ Their mother mustered a weak, chuckle. "Yes, very. Consequently I was the waitress for their table. Them being soldiers I didn't want to deny a small reward for their service, so I allowed them to drink as long as they had someone who could drive them home." _

_ Claire smiled slightly. "Dad was single at the time, right?" _

_ "Yes, he was. Everyone stumbled into their wives or girlfriends' cars...all except for your dad. By then it was going on 3 in the morning, so I drove him home myself. He was so drunk by then. I walked him to his front step, then he kissed me on the cheek." _

_ "Ugh..." Serah giggled. _

_ "The alcohol in his breath was nearly enough to intoxicate myself." _

_ Claire couldn't help but roll her eyes. "And you saw the tell-tale fireworks, huh?" _

_ "You never were the romantic one...yes, soon your father somehow always found time to spend a few hours during the week at my café. Those were some of the best years I can remember..." _

_ Serah suddenly yawned, eyes drooping. Claire herself was struggling to stay awake. As soon as her mother's story ended, the three sat silently. Suddenly Serah shifted, nested against the woman's side. _

_ "Love you, Mom," the younger sister murmured. For a brief moment, Claire assumed her sister was overlapping dream with reality; a dream in which they were sleeping in their mother's bed, as they always used to do when a nightmare would frighten them._

_ "Love you too, Serah. Sweet dreams." _

_ Claire watched her sister fall asleep in silence._

_ "I'm sorry, Claire," her mother whispered, light as a feather. The eldest sister fought the urge to break down in tears, instead shaking her head. _

_ "I'll take care of her. I promise," Claire said seriously. _

_ "You shouldn't have to." _

_ "I know...this shouldn't have ever happened to you…but...we'll stick together." _

_ Her mother's voice hitched. "Thank you, Claire. You've always been the stronger of us two," she said softly. _

_ "...I wish I was sick instead..." _

_ Her mother only sighed, but her body had completely relaxed and her hold on Claire's hand waned. _

_ "Mother...?" _

_ "...Do you remember...what your father called your before we decided on your name?"_

_ She could feel the slow beat of her heart beneath her ear. _

_ "No...you guys hadn't come up with a name yet?" _

_ "No, I had a lot of trouble naming you. Your father called you his 'little soldier girl'. Did you know that?" _

_ "No, I didn't..." Claire smiled in the darkness, yawning quietly. But she couldn't fall asleep, not yet...not when she still had time left..._

_ "I remember whenever you did some silly thing like fall and scrape your knee...or hurt yourself in your little adventures he'd always give you a peck on your cheek and raise you onto his shoulders. Remember what he said?" _

_ It was a distant memory, a memory from a beautiful childhood that, at the time, seemed perfect. Her earliest memories were of spending sunsets with her father along the beach and joining him on magical quests to find the big, bad, Pulse l'Cie. _

"'Solider on,' "_ she breathed, surprised that she remembered such a simple phrase. _

_ "That's...right. Remember that." _

_ Claire's eyes fell shut...seconds away from sleep..._

_ "Goodnight, Claire." _

_ "...G'night, Mom. Love you..." _

_ "Love you, too. See you in the morning, my little soldier."_

_ She felt a gentle squeeze in her hand before it was gone and sleep overtook her, dragging her into an infinite spiral of happy memories. _

_ Her father's tan, wise face smiling at her from the shadow of the setting sun over the ocean waves beneath their house in Bodhum... _

_ The day her parents brought home a tiny, soft baby sister for her to marvel at…_

_ The entire family walking along the fine post-card beaches of Bodhum, enjoying the simplicity of stability and happiness... _

_ Both of the eldest Farrons fell asleep with smiles on their faces._

_Yet sometime during the night, Claire was awakened by something pulsing strongly around her, a strong chill that reminded her of a cold winter night...too exhausted to lift her eyelids any further, she could only glimpse bright light curling around the arm intertwined around her hand encased over her mother's arm. Before she could come to consciousness, however, her head fell onto the bed, forced into sleep once more._

* * *

><p><em>When Claire and Serah woke the next morning, their mother's body lay beneath them, icy to the touch and drained of all color. They had expected it, knew it was going to happen, but...still, more tears fell. <em>

_ Claire couldn't look at her mother's lifeless face. She only wanted to remember one where her mother still smiled. She ran into the room's bathroom and threw the toilet seat open, vomiting into it. Serah held her hair back and both closed their eyes as she retched. _

_ The next few minutes were spent in a stifling silence, save for the sink turning on as Claire washed out her mouth, weak in the knees when she opened the door. Soon a team of doctors arrived to take the body away. _

_ Claire tried to pry her sister away, to no avail. Until the last possible second they remained at their mother's side._

_Resigned to the haunting fact that...she was gone._

_Forever. There were no dreams to retreat to. _

_ Only the cruel, cruel world of reality._

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong> I've always been disappointed with the way SE handled Lightning and Serah's background...when Lightning explained to Hope why she changed her name, it didn't really strike a chord within me because I didn't know anything about them [their parents], or why I should care that they died. Obviously it hurt Lightning and Serah, but since little to none was said about them (hell, their names would be nice, too), I never knew much about them. And as you may begin to learn, history in _Worlds Collide _may or may not be what you thought it was.

If this chapter doesn't make you care about Lightning, nothing will. I'll be honest; I was on the verge of tears when writing Rydia's call. I hope it has the same impact with you. Thank you for reading.

Soldier on, my fellow readers. Soldier on,

-**Cranberry Knight-XIII**

_If you feel like all hope is gone, _

_Soldier on. _

_If you feel like all hope is gone, dig deep,_

_Soldier on._

_I'll be here to catch you if you fall, _

_Reach out, hold on. _

_I know you're a fighter and you're so strong. _

_Soldier on._

-"Soldier" (Amba Sheperd)


	17. Solitude of the Mind

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **This could count as a bonus chapter, sort of. It's part of the story, but since I rarely, if ever, dip into Cloud's point of view, I figured it would be fitting...

I hope you enjoy! **Reviews **are glorious~

Also, I wanted to say I recently finished Naughty Dog's _The Last of Us. _Wow. I thought _Tomb Raider w_as gritty and intense...but this latest game from Sony blew it out of the water. The opening tear-jerker to the trials Joel and Ellie went through, all the way to the ending. One fantastic journey that game is. And I can't help but draw a ton of similarities between Cloud and Joel. And more than just "oh, well they both lost someone they really cared about." :'(

Please listen to the BGM. I think you'll be happy you did.

Valiantly

**Cranberry Knight-XIII**

* * *

><p><strong>.:<span>WORLDS COLLIDE<span>:. **

_Chapter XVII – Solitude of the Mind _

**[**"Home" – _The Last of Us_**]**

The pale, milky moon of Midgar cast a gloomy shadow over the quiet confinement of 7th Heaven. No sound could be heard outside; children were gathered and adults hurried home from work or errands, casting wistful glances towards the lighted window of the bar's frontside. A woman's silhouette could be seen, an arm extending from the figure and wiping back and forth on the glass panes. For the third day in a row, Edge's pride and joy had been closed for business.

None of Edge's citizens knew why – Tifa Lockhart's reputation as a businesswoman was, after all, very respected throughout Midgar and beyond – but they weren't willing to speak up, either.

Whispers of the "new" woman, a supposed soldier with strange, pink hair had spread across town. Suspicious glances were thrown at Miss Lockhart every night during her period of time spent cleaning the front windows and sweeping the area outside of the bar's front door. That is, when Marlene or Denzel weren't in her stead. The people of Edge were wary of strangers – and rightfully so. And plenty of them had seen the strange, human-like bundle Cloud Strife had carried in on his bike not just a few days ago.

One particular civilian opted to find out the answer for herself – taking a detour from her road to home and slipping around the corner to find the bar's door. She knocked, crossing her arms in irritation.

* * *

><p>Tifa Lockhart perked her ears at the apparent noise of knuckles rapping on wood, dropping the dirty towel she had been using to give the windows a good cleaning and tiredly meeting the door. When she opened it, her eyes slightly narrowed in spite of the smile plastered on her face.<p>

"Hi, Tess, what can I do for you today?" Tifa asked as brightly as she could. Her eyes caught sight of the moon hanging in its lofty seat in the sky. _Late_.

"Open the damn Service again, that's what you can do!" 'Tess' snapped.

A woman in her forties and well-known as a former Colonel within SOLDIER, Tess was about as rough, tough, _and_ hard-assed as any retired, former military personnel could get. Tifa smiled inwardly, remembering Yuffie's grumblings about her during their resistance in AVALANCHE.

_"Woman doesn't even have the looks to make up for her rudeness, goes around telling people what to do, and sticks her nose in everybody's business! What a hard-ass…!" _

Tifa leaned against the door, lifting her hand helplessly. "I'm sorry, Tess, we're closed."

"Ya? Well where's Cloud? I need him to deliver these antibiotics to my uncle, he's out on the Chocobo Farm. They've got some stupid problem with them birds…beasts are goin' wild, he says. Anyways, he got bit pretty good. I can't get over there to see 'em, but I know Strife can."

If there was one thing Tifa prided herself on – besides being a master of martial arts – it was professionalism in the face of infuriating customers.

"Until further notice, 7th Heaven _and _Strife Delivery Service is closed. I promise that as soon as we get things sorted out we'll be up and running in no time. To compensate for your inconvenience, can I offer you a discount on our Corel wine?" Tifa offered, drawing on her memory to remember Tess's love for 7th Heaven's wine.

Tess eyed her as if weighing her options from being rude to giving in.

"Corel wine discount, you say? How much we talkin' about?"

"20% for three bundles of 12-packs. Or store credit. Your choice."

"Fine, Lockhart, you've got a deal. But I want to see that discount flyer in my mailbox by tomorrow or they'll be hell to pay. My uncle can't wait forever and now I'll have to be the one who goes out there. I ain't happy, but I'll take it."

Tifa shook her in disbelief as the woman stalked off, throwing the occasional glare at the innocent bystanders rushing home. She quietly closed the door behind her, turning and leaning on the door frame in exhaustion.

"Gaia...what time is it?" Through the fingers that rubbed her eyes she glanced at the clock above the lounge couch on the opposite end of the room.

Only 9:00.

"Come on, Lockhart, wake up! You've got a fight with the dishes," she muttered, half-heartedly attempting to reinvigorate the arduous slog of doing chores on a weekday night.

She suddenly remembered that she hadn't seen Cloud in a few hours. Sighing heavily and with an air of apprehension she ascended the stairs to the second floor, footsteps dragging.

* * *

><p>Three days.<p>

Three days had passed since the second incident at the church.

And not a single second of those seventy-two hours had been spent on sleeping or spent out of the house.

Cloud could already feel the strain; he was fidgeting from his position besides the bed, playing a lonely game of cards on the bedside table. His eyelids drooped, dark shadows outlined his Mako eyes than usual. The room was pitched in darkness besides the one illuminated patch of moonlight on the floor a foot away from the window facing the north.

Cloud quietly blew out a puff of air, flicking the cards between his fingers deftly.

It was an even match between him and the lamp's deck.

"Got a four?" he muttered, peering down at his collection of three sevens and two Kings. All were spades.

No response.

"Damn."

Cloud suddenly tipped his chair back, folding the cards into one neat pack. Before he could begin to stretch, however, Tifa suddenly slipped through the door, giving him a quiet wave. Cloud hurriedly threw the thirteen cards he had collected onto the table, ears reddening ever so slightly.

Tifa wasn't deterred.

"What are you doing?" she asked, tossing him a curious glance as her eyes caught sight of the setup of cards facing away from the blonde man, towards... "Are you really playing with a _lamp_?"

Cloud stared blankly back. "No...?"

Tired as she was Tifa couldn't help but chuckle, covering her hand with her mouth to cushion the sound. Avoiding all of the creaky boards she knew so well, Tifa took a seat next to Cloud. Her smile quickly faded at the sight of his raggedness.

"Cloud..."

"Tifa, I know. You don't have to say anything," he said, voice dropping to warning whisper.

She pursed her lips, looking away.

"Cloud, you can't stay up here forever. You look horrible," she said.

Cloud ignored her, turning his eyes to the figure lying beside him on his own bed, covered in a mountain of wool blankets. Only her head stuck out, framed by an unmistakable head of pink, fringed hair.

Lightning.

Cloud slowly moved his hand over her head and moved the damp rag from her brow. Without a word he pressed his hand to her head, tightening his jaw when he felt the familiar cold meet his skin.

"Well?"

"Cold as ice," Cloud reported, laying the hot rag across her bangs again. "She's not getting better or worse."

Cloud leaned back in his chair. It was stationed directly on Lightning's left side.

"I don't know what to do."

Tifa sensed the helplessness that tinged his words; it wasn't in Cloud's nature to sit by and do nothing. Now he was forced to look on; prayers and presence were all that he could offer his fellow comerade.

Lightning was subdued within a coma. That much they knew. The stoic soldier hadn't wakened once since Cloud brought her back to 7th Heaven the day she saved Sergeant Ghost. Tifa was forced to close the bar, for the deafening noise during packed hours could sometimes be mistaken for a concert. She had been bedridden for several days, never moving so much as a muscle. Every so often the soldier would cry out, in pain or sadness, Cloud didn't know, but it alarmed him every time. Was she having nightmares?

And Cloud? Cloud felt like the scum of the Planet. He had chosen to do something he wasn't proud of, for the good of his family, a family he had vowed to protect. There wasn't an option...not in his eyes at least. He wanted Lightning to wake up, but also worried what her reaction would be when she finally learned of his decision.

"...It's not the same as before, Cloud."

"What?" His eyes snapped over to hers, digesting her words with a twisted look distorting his features. Tifa raised a hand to silence him calmly.

"You remember, Cloud, I know you do. The day we fell off of the bridge, right? I was in a coma for seven days. By some luck of the chocobos that graced your hair color, we were fine."

"Tifa–"

"Listen. I was okay then. If Lightning really is in a coma now, she'll be fine; the fall I took was more than this. And we were just children...Lightning's a warrior. Don't forget she has the goddess on her side. After all, she is a guardian, right?" Tifa said, smiling assuredly.

Cloud nodded, feeling more confident. With what energy he had left he mustered a small, appreciative smile. "Thanks, Tifa."

The two sat in silence for several minutes, watching Lightning's knitted brow and darkened expression as the night lengthened on and on as the outside clouds shifted in correlation to the moon. Tifa even offered to play a game of cards with Cloud, doing what she could to keep him awake. He had to.

"How're you holding up?" she suddenly asked, looking down at her cards with her knee bent up to her chin. "Six?"

"Go fish...three?"

"Here." She handed him a three of clubs. "You didn't answer my question, Mr. Strife."

"I'm fine, Tifa," he answered gruffly, brushing off the question.

"You don't _look _fine to me. Uh...do you have any twos?"

"Go fish again." He shrugged when she puffed out her cheeks, swiping a card from the deck. "There's nothing I can do about it. I just have to. Monty said so."

"Yeah, the same moogle that got drunk off of thirty-two bottles of Corel wine..."

"The moogle can hold his liquor."

"...So I noticed," she laughed, flipping through her cards.

"Are _you_ okay?"

"What? Yeah, of course...why do you ask?"

"I thought maybe...when the paradox opened up in here and you saw..."

Oh. _That. _

"It's not going to happen, it can't. I was scared then, but I'm certain now. We have time before that happens; we can stop that future from being reality, right?"

"..."

"Now stop changing the subject!" she laughed, forcing a smile again and poking his arm with the edge of a card. As she did so, one of Cloud's eyes flicked over to the card in question and his head slightly leaned over. Tifa smacked him over the side of the head with her other hand, guarding the deck with her life. "You sneaky, little..."

"You were saying?"

"Hmph."

"Got any fives, Mr. Cheater?"

"Yeah, here."

"Uh...eights?"

"Heh...go fish."

"..."

"Oh, and Tess dropped by today. She had a few words of wisdom for us, believe it or not."

"And?"

"Putting it simply, she wanted you to deliver Joel some antibiotics. Apparently he got into a pretty good fight with the chocobos on the Farm."

"_Joel?"_

"Yeah. I told her we were closed and the only way I could get her off our doorstep was with a little persuasion..."

"Persuasion? In Lockhart terms is that bribery?"

"It was a discount of 20% on the wine, nothing huge. That got her moving."

"I'm not surprised. Your turn."

"Huh? Oh, yeah...hmm, any nines?"

"Go fish."

"Hmph."

"Let's start a new deck..." Cloud murmured, shuffling the collection of cards.

Finally she set down her cards, opening her mouth. "Cloud."

"Hmm?"

"You're going to die if you stay in here. Now I know that's not what you want to hear, but listen to me, please. Lightning _will_ wake up – she has to – but right now we don't know when that is. You need to take a day and just do something, _anything_...sleep for the entire day for all I care...this isn't healthy, Cloud, and I'm worried. You're not going to help Lightning if you're dead."

Cloud tossed aside his cards, too. "Tifa, if I leave her like this, she could die. Right now, she's all we've got in this fight. I need to stay with her."

Tifa's chin tightened. "Cloud, you can't stay awake forever."

"I can damn sure try."

The barwoman clucked her tongue in frustration, the wave of exhaustion coming over her again. Yet she knew it was nothing compared to Cloud's.

"Why are you so damn _stubborn_? Why are you willing to risk yourself for her? I love Lightning to death, but don't forget us, Cloud. Don't kill yourself trying to save everyone."

Cloud's eyebrows knitted together and his eyes turned hard.

"You don't think I know that? You don't think I've thought about the consequences? I know what this is like. I've been here before. It's happened twice. I'm not letting it happen again, not under these circumstances. Please, Tifa."

She held her tongue. She understood _exactly _how he felt. But she couldn't stand to let him deteriorate if – _if _– Lightning didn't wake up...when he'd left all those months ago to live in Aerith's church, the pain was overwhelming. She would wake up at night, feeling lost and alone. She didn't want to feel that again. Yes, she knew that a journey lay ahead of Cloud and Lightning that wasn't her place to tread. It was their ultimate battle and their alone. It wasn't her place to step in as the warrior anymore. In a way, it saddened her. The guilty glances they had tossed at each other each time they discussed plans, the Artefacts, the paradoxes... She knew that as soon as Cloud and Lightning sealed the time gate in Aerith's church and found another to transport them back to Valhalla, it could very well be a duty that outlasted her own mortal life.

_"So this realm, Valhalla...time doesn't pass there?" _

_ "Yeah, you're right, it doesn't. Monty said that a few minutes there could be hours, or even days, in other worlds. Why do you ask?" _

_ "Just...curious."_

Tifa Lockhart was no fool.

"Promise me something, alright?" she suddenly said, feeling her insides turn to mush.

"What...?" Cloud said in surprise, bright eyes raking over her face.

"Promise?"

"What is it?"

"When you and Lightning save the world and everything, come back. Come back to us. Don't forget us, promise?" She finally looked up at him fiercely, an odd look in her crimson eyes.

Inside, Cloud cringed.

He straightened and looked her square in the eyes. "Promise."

Her features suddenly relaxed. Unable to stand any more time without sleep she stood, handing her cards to Cloud. He looked up at her, mystified.

"If you need anything, you know where I'm at. You don't want something to drink before I head to bed?"

"I'm fine."

"Well...see you bright and early in the morning," she whispered before slipping out the door.

Her light footsteps gently faded across the hallway.

Cloud stood and quietly paced, cracking his knuckles to help wake himself up. Once more he sat himself across from Lightning, watching her face for any sign of consciousness: a flutter of the eyes, a simple word...

The fourth night came and went as Cloud continued to stay awake, never leaving her side. Whether he wanted to or not wasn't up to him.

The moment he strayed too far Lightning would begin to shudder uncontrollably in her sleep, curling around herself. The first time it happened was seconds after Cloud first carried her limp form into the room with Tifa hot on his heels. They had meant to leave her to rest when she began to convulse. Tifa had rushed over to find her temperature deathly cold to the touch. When he tried to leave again to meet one of the Turks outside, the entire ordeal replayed itself.

_"What's happening to her?!" Tifa asked him in alarm. _

_ "I don't know. She used a lot of magic on the guy…the chaos was probably too powerful for her." _

_ "She's not going to–?" _

_ "No, she should be fine as long as I'm here." _

_ "What? Why?" _

_ "There's a correlation between my immunity to the chaos and her ability to destroy it. When I'm around it, it sort of retreats into a neutral state. Doesn't move, doesn't attack." _

And now here she was, fighting a lone battle between herself and the chaos. Or so he thought.

The more Cloud dwelled on it, the more the idea of Lightning's coma disturbed him. Something about it seemed...off. Even during her brief contact the first time they visited the church with the Turks, she had been temporarily knocked out by the sheer aura of the chaos beneath the pond. But it had never led to something like this. And a few days later, her contact with the chaos seeping in and out of Ghost's body brought her to her knees. He watched her from afar, marveling at her ritual from afar, unable to do nothing. He was relieved when Lightning rose, flashing him a thumbs-up. Then she collapsed, clutching her heart and hissing in pain. A second later she was knocked out cold.

Sure, the goddess had given her the ability to destroy the chaos, but...

Cloud peered up at the bright moon framed in the window.

Where exactly was the chaos going?

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>A small time skip to get things going. It's also a look into Cloud's part of the story. I suppose Light's not the only one suffering, eh? Also a quick note: work for me on **Devil Hunter Kira F Sparda**'s_The Chaos Between Light and Darkness_, which was previously a spin-off of _Worlds Collide_ with CloudxLightning and BayonettaxDante has officially ceased for personal reasons. I still recommend him as a writer; great things can come from his profile.

This chapter is meant to be short. I enjoyed writing it. It gave me reason to flesh out Tifa's importance to the story. She is the backbone of 7th Heaven, and I wanted it to be known that her character is being affected, if not more so than Cloud's.

On a happier note, I wasn't too creative with TLOS references, was I?

Haha, Cloud playing cards with a lamp. Poor boy.

Thanks to **Irish-Brigid **for catching the FFVII mistake I made!

-**Cranberry Knight-XIII**


	18. Threshold

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **I hope you enjoyed the last chapter bonus. Onwards! This is a very long A/N, I know. Thank you for the reviews, as always. Such lovely souls. And another thank you for the feedback, it is much appreciated. I did some major editing on this one, I hope it was noticeable.

Is anyone planning on playing _Lightning Returns_ this year? Or has anyone played _Final Fantasy XIV:ARR_ with the issues it's having? I will of course, but I was curious if anyone else planned on picking it up through Play-Asia. And Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD comes out today. I won't be picking it up, but I will definitely watch a playthrough or two. I also just finished up my sixth playthrough of _Final Fantasy XIII_ and I'm sure I'll be able to finish _Final Fantasy XIII-_2 before _Lightning Returns_. And I'm not sure why, but they both seem to be getting better over the years (in regards to FFXIII, at least). Square Enix, in the words of a friend, "you done real good!"

Worlds Collide theme: I'm working on it. I've narrowed it down to two, and although it may seem unimportant to others, I want it to represent the story perfectly, whether through the overall sound of the song or the lyrics themselves...

Valiantly,

**Cranberry Knight-XIII**

* * *

><p><strong>.:<span>WORLDS COLLIDE<span>:. **

_Chapter XVIII – Threshold _

**[**"The Call"** – **_Journey_**]**

_Even in the callous shadow of revelation time marches on in its linear course, merciless to the fragments that plague the timeline, distort spacetime and life, memories and wishes uniting in constant turmoil._

_ As we gaze upon events that cannot be changed, our hearts grow bitter with regret. Faced with the power to travel the timeline and change the future, we are nonetheless powerless to bring the dead to life, falling susceptible to the indomitable ruse that we can not only prevent future death, but remix the failures of the history of the universe to create the fallacy that plagues our dreams of a fantasy world in which death does not exist._

_ Humanity's great frailty: we prefer future happiness to past uncertainty, recollecting the harshest of memories only in the darkest voids of our dreams, everlasting. We are weak to face what frightens us most. _

_ The power to change the future and reconstruct the equilibrium of the timeline is a farce; death itself cannot be undone. _

_ This is the power I was bestowed upon, gifted, _cursed_ with. Amidst these obsidian shores at the crossroads of the time and space I stand alone in the shadow of a realm lost to the chaos, shrouded in darkness for all of eternity. _

_ And I ask myself... _

Was it the goddess that led the world to its downfall in her foolish nature?

Or was I so naïve to trust such an entity to our demise, foolishly believing our shared power would free the world from the darkness?

_I only have on wish now, and it is here that I manifest my desires in the occurrence that another light in this shade of darkness will finds its way to me. And it is also where I consign my final words._

_-_Voices of the Void Beyond

* * *

><p>Lightning was ripped from the memory the goddess's apparition and sent hurtling forward in time once again, oblivious to the thousands of other fragments she passed…fragments that, in such a foreign dreaming state, seemed only like distant images of a time now lost. Compelled to sleep in the infinite confines of the chaos, she cradled herself, cold.<p>

An eternity passed in bitter solitude.

For the first time in many years, Lightning Farron condemned herself. Not for betraying her sister in her time of need or betraying herself in the belief that the only path to victory was following a solitary battle in blind anger. No, this was different.

She was a murderer.

Unintentional or not, that memory had revealed to her the truth of her past. Was it the goddess's cruel intention to reveal such a painful revelation? Or had the goddess purposely made her forget the fine details of that night?

No answers were given as a light shone through the chaos once more, a spotlight beckoning in encouragement.

With nothing else left to give her body rose to meet it, breaking the surface of the intangible barrier between the radiance of life and gloom of the undead.

* * *

><p>She woke with a start, choking on her own panicked gulps of breath and jackknifing into a sitting position, ignoring the cool rag that suddenly fell from her forehead and onto her lap. Beneath her was the familiar softness…of Cloud's bed? Hard, cold eyes opened to find the familiar room surrounding her in a blanket of false comfort; 7th Heaven. Gently she stood, surprised to find herself perfectly alive and whole...no infinite chaos surrounding her, the sounds of the streets below the bar could clearly be heard through the cracked window…<p>

Yet Lightning noticed none of it, memories of what she had experienced in her stupor rushing back. And then, like cold iron an invisible force pierced through her heart, the same feeling she knew she had felt in the past but could not recollect…it brought her to the wooden floor, clutching a fist over her heart and falling to one knee, fighting against the bursts of red fireworks that flashed behind her eyes.

It became unbearable.

A reluctant groan escaped her. A thin film of sweat dotted her brow.

"_Please let this be a nightmare..."_

Another stab twisted her heart around an invisible hand gripping her in a vice-like grasp. This time it forced a reluctant tear into her eye.

In one swift motion Lightning crawled towards the door to the hallway and turned, leaning against it and fumbling with the buckle around her white uniform. She threw it open and unzipped the brown leather top beneath it, pushing the left shoulder down to reveal a thick, obsidian wound directly placed an inch above her beating heart. Like a black tattoo it was only two inches wide, yet it almost seemed to demonstrate a sort of movement, as if it was crawling across her skin.

Lightning paled as it spread another inch then with a malicious hiss settled into the surface of her skin, creating the pattern of an elongated oval, muddled and repulsive. She raised a hand to it and skimmed her fingers across the pale surface of her skin, prodding at the wound with two fingers bathed in light. Minutes passed until with a start it retreated, occupying a much smaller area of skin. Her skin was defaced again, just like the scarred l'Cie tattoo in the middle of her chest. A reminder of what? Sins?

_Sin…?_

And then she remembered. _Everything. _

_ Her mother falling ill, walking Serah to school alone, receiving the phone call from Eden General Hospital, rushing to find their mother mere minutes from dying, falling asleep besides her mother, waking briefly to… _

No...

Lightning stared down at her hands in horror, swallowing the painful lump in her throat.

" '_Yet sometime during the night, Claire was awakened by something pulsing strongly around her, a strong chill that reminded her of a cold winter night...too exhausted to lift her eyelids any further, she could only glimpse bright light curling around the arm intertwined around her hand encased over her mother's arm…' "_

The wheels had started to turn in her brain. It was immediately apparent why Etro had shown her a vision of her past, long forgotten.

Once freed from the haze of the chaos, she could see clearly now.

"Mother died...because of me."

It wasn't a guess, it wasn't a theory. It was the fact, the truth. It made sense. And she hated herself for it. Curling her hand into a tight fist with vengeance she stood in anger, ignoring the slight twinge in her shoulder and closing her uniform. Immediately the room was thrown into a haze of black and white as her vision spotted, causing her to sway. Ignoring the dizzy sensation she quietly opened the door, hugging the door frame for support. Her legs nearly gave out under her, but she refused to fall. She just needed to get to the bathroom.

Once inside she shut the door and clicked the lock in place, leaning over the sink and hiding her head on folded arms, breathing heavily. All she could feel was anger, humiliation, regret, and...disappointment. The very power the goddess had bestowed her was both a savior of humanity and a lethal weapon that could take away life in the blink of an eye.

_I understand now…this entire time, I…I never imagined…_

_This is a nightmare, this is a nightmare, please let this be a nightmare. This isn't real. This is the cruel world of reality, damnit. Etro was trying to show me all along and I was blind._

Etro had sent her into a relapse to reveal the truth of her mother's death and the mystery surrounding the epidemic that wiped out thousands all those years ago on Cocoon...

Mother had become a victim of the chaos prior to being transported to Eden General Hospital. Somehow, someway the chaos had manifested as a disease and was spread throughout Cocoon, infecting the bodies of the weak...

The signs were all there as she clearly reminisced the events of that night in the hospital room of 13-A, casting eyes upon a woman veiled in veins that were unnaturally dark and visible beneath a sickly layer of pale skin, stretched tight around decaying bones, brittle to even the slightest touch. And her mother's fogged eyes, drained of color. She remembered it all with livid intensity.

Falling asleep at her mother's side with her hand cradled against her chest.

Sometime during the night she briefly awoke to glimpse a stream of light flowing from her hand to her mother. Too exhausted to investigate further she slipped back into the security of her dreams, dismissing it as no more than the nightly happenings that occurred within dreams. She had fooled herself for years into believing what she saw in the night was nothing but a dream.

And that was the revelation.

Lightning had been able to wield this power long before her ascent as Etro's guardian. In fact, since she was fifteen.

Had she been given the knowledge of her powers, she could have saved everyone, extracted the chaos from her mother's body.

"And she'd still be alive today," Lightning whispered hoarsely, curling her hands into impossibly tight fists.

_Get it now, Vincent? This is what happens when you take advantage of this power… the reverse of a miracle happens and death is your reward. I could've cured mother of the chaos, cured __everyone__ of chaos. Instead, the light acted upon its own accord, meaning good but creating hell on the way. It extracted all of the chaos within mother's heart, destroying every last particle inside of her frail frame. And Etro never intervened, never did a damn thing._

"I am so sorry, mother..."

Lightning slammed her fist against the porcelain rim, cursing in fury. She wanted to scream at the goddess, implore to her:

_Why me? Why give me this gift, intended to breathe life into the infected? Why bestow upon me this gift that can transcend the very barriers of humans and gods, give me the power to take away life so easily?__Take it away, rip the very power from my own heart if it will free from this burden._

"Etro, you are a damn _fool_," she hissed the goddess's name in a spiteful growl, starting the faucet with harsh force and watching the stream of water spill over the curves of her fingers and knuckles.

Once more, Lightning wasn't sure who she could trust. The goddess, for reasons unknown, had never bothered to drop in a line before she ever became a soldier in the Guardian Corps, before she became a l'Cie, a guardian of Valhalla...

_This might have all been avoided if you had said something, __anything__, to your so-called "beloved" children. _

Lightning backed away from the sink, lifting her head to glare into the mirror. In it she saw herself: a new scar lining the side of her head after the incident near Healin. Clear, blue eyes gone hard and black. Shoulders slumped in defeat.

She sank to the floor in defeat, balancing her elbows on her knees and cradling her head.

"Oh, Serah...what do I do?"

The anger melted gradually as the minutes dragged on; only her sadness remained as she sat on the chilly tiles in the hallway bathroom. What would she ever tell Serah? Could she tell her? How do you explain to someone you had the ability to save someone from death, only to do the reverse and inadvertently expedite their death?

She checked the patch on her chest again, dismayed to find it still plastered above her heart.

For once, Lightning Farron shed a tear for herself and the woman that birthed the Guardian of Valhalla.

A salty, clear drop of water for her dear, dead mother, a victim of Etro's chaos.

* * *

><p>Several minutes passed as Lightning perched on the edge of the bathtub in the hallway bathroom, resting her head in her hands, eyes closed. She allowed her mind to clear, venting out the raw emotion that had crippled her into a humiliating state of weakness.<p>

_You're stronger than this, Farron. _

She wanted to believe it.

It was then that she heard a voice, light and pleasant, waft from the first floor. Carefully she reached over and twisted the doorknob, opening it enough so that a sliver of light pierced the darkened room. By doing so she heard the voice clearer as her ears perked up. Although nearly inaudible she could also clearly hear the riffs of some song playing, muffled.

_Singing…? _

Lightning's eyebrows heightened.

"_And all my hopes and dreams_

_Aren't for anyone_

_I keep them safe and sound…"_

The distinct riff of a guitar sounded and Lightning debated opening the door or not. She remained seated, straining her ears.

_"And all these victories_

_Not yours anymore_

_But can you hear me now?"__  
><em>

A woman's voice...

_"The dead stop dreaming_

_I'll set ablaze this life_

_Your shadow keeps me bright."_

Lightning curled her hand around the doorknob, tightening her hold.

"So try and stop me

_Or suffocate this light_

_'Cuz I can burn all night._

_Until my heart stops beating_

_You'll never hear me say__  
><em>

_I'm backing down." _

A peculiar feeling overwhelmed Lightning and she twisted the knob, allowing the flood of light to enter the room. She squinted at the sheer brightness of natural light infiltrating the bathroom.

_"If I say,_

_It's lost its meaning_

_If I can't find my way_

_It's over now_

_But I won't_

_Walk away."_

She rose.

_"Until the day_

_I'm never backing down_

_And hear me say_

_I'll keep it safe and sound_

_I'll keep it safe and..." _

Lightning's knees trembled as they carried her forward; a wave of dizziness crashed down again, swamping her head with duplicate images of the walls. Her hands gripped the door frame as her vision blurred, but she was determined. Moving forward with a hand clutching the wall firmly she cast a look down the stairs directly to the left and walked she could take down a fal'Cie, by the gods she could make it to the ground floor without collapsing.

_"This hopeless feeling_

_This fear of falling down_

_But I'm not crashing now_

_For all this bleeding_

_It wasn't worth the sound_

_A million screaming out." _

She shook her head, pausing for a moment. A woman's voice...mixed with a man's humming?

_"And still_

_The earth comes reeling_

_The curtain calls my name_

_I'm not afraid_

_And I know_

_You may not miss me_

_But I am not ashamed_

_The choice I made." _

Tifa?

"_But I can't_

_Let this go_

_Until the day."_

_One thing at a time, Farron._  
><em><br>"I'm never backing down__…_

_Just hear me say_

_I'll keep it safe and sound_

_I'll keep it safe and…" _

She rounded the corner, forcing strength into her limbs, commanding her body into equilibrium.

_"Like a crashing car_

_Or a dying star_

_That's racing to the ground_

_Like the final words_

_Of the passengers_

_When the engine's giving out_

_Will the world_

_Watch us burn?__" _

For a brief moment warmth blossomed from her heart and equally so a burst of strength vibrated in her veins; a divine intervention...much, much too late. With a grit of her teeth and wave of the hand she dismissed it, pausing until the unnatural power subsided. That power wasn't hers.

"_Until the day…"_

"I don't need your damn help," Lightning muttered.

_"I'm never backing down_

_Just hear me say__…" _

She took a hesitant step towards the stairs, satisfied when her leg muscles tightened in accordance.  
><em><br>"I'll keep it safe and sound__  
>Keep it safe and sound."<em>

Her hands pushed off the wall as she descended...  
><em><br>__"I'll keep it safe and sound.  
>Keep it safe and sound."<em>

And emerged.  
><em><br>"I'll keep it safe and sound.  
>Keep it safe and sound." <em>

Her steady gait carried her into the brightly lit bar room; the moment she stepped in her eyes shielded the sunlight's magnificent rays from penetrating her gaze, blinded by the sudden morning light pouring in from the room's glass windows in an array of golden lightwaves. Her ears were treated to the last thirty seconds of the song she'd listened to, a simple tune of a guitar, breathing out when it ended.

She lowered her hands, squinting as two figures looked up. Her steps took her deeper into the room as she clutched back of a chair, opening her mouth but forcing no words out. What would she say?

Her answer was swallowed nonetheless as Tifa Lockhart's voice rang out in shock.

"Gaia, _Lightning!"_

A smile spread across her face as Tifa dropped the dish she was scrubbing and swiftly dodged between the bar tables and nearly tackled her friend, soapy hands and all. Lightning grunted as the monk squeezed her tightly, beaming.

"Gods, you're awake!" Tifa exclaimed, leaning back.

"Guess so."

"On the fourth day we were at wit's end...we couldn't call a doctor, nothing. I tried to heal you a few times; we tried all of our vials of medicine, antidotes, everything–"

"_Fourth _day?" Lightning blurted in alarm, eyebrows knitting together.

"You were in a coma. I'll tell you what happened but you look wobbly...here, sit down. I'll get something fixed for you in just a second," fussed Tifa, guiding her to the bar counter, noticing Lightning's expedited blinking.

"_Coma?" _Lightning sat back in shock.

"In the mood for anything particular?"

"Doesn't matter. Water's fine."

Tifa looked over her shoulder, smiling knowingly. "How about some more bacon?" She laughed as the soldier's eyes brightened. "I thought so."

"Thanks...How long was I out for?" Lightning asked again.

A sudden voice sounded behind her, quiet and deep.

"Thirteen days."

Cloud's black form took a seat next to her, placing his elbows on the counter and looking down at his hands silently.

"Hey."

"Hey."

For the next twenty minutes Tifa and Cloud recapped the last week and six days with Lightning, stopping momentarily as Marlene and the infamous Mont Blanc burst inside from the streets of Edge, bounding over to Lightning and embracing her in relief. With a smattering of Monty's commentary thrown in Lightning learned what happened outside of Etro's dreaming state. The bar had since been opened, so handfuls of customers appeared throughout the morning, eating quietly but filling the room with a gentle buzz of conversation. It helped to lighten Lightning's mood and her strength slowly returned. The dizziness was gone. At the same time, a question was burning in Lightning's mind. She couldn't recall what it was...like a fragmented memory she _should _know but didn't. She pushed it away, surrendering to Tifa's morning meal as she devoured it with vigor.

Yet that had not been so thirteen days ago, Cloud told her.

"You were knocked out cold. And you had chaos residue on your...shoulder," Cloud said quickly. Again, Lightning strained her brain to remember what exactly happened the day that led her to using Etro's power but the answer evaded her again. "I brought you here immediately. Tifa and I tried to heal you, but...Monty said it was hopeless and you were as good as dead."

Lightning shot a glare at the moogle, who shook his bobble at her.

When they had performed every healing spell in the book they resorted to ordinary Antidotes, Eye Drops, Echo Screens, Remedies, and even a Hyper. Day after day Lightning seemed to sink deeper into the coma, utterly unresponsive. In that time 7th Heaven had been closed until the fifth day when Lightning began to recover. Her skin retained its healthy complexion, the crinkles in her forehead flattened, and her breathing returned to normal. Mystified at the unknown source of her recovery Tifa opened 7th Heaven nonetheless, chock-full of customers who were eager to learn of the bar's newest addition to the family.

"Rufus and his men are spreading the word around. They know the basics about the time...anomalies, paradoxes, and the chaos...news is starting to spread around the Planet. Soon enough everyone will know to avoid Sector 5 until the chaos is cleared up."

"Good," Lightning responded, if a bit gruffly. Despite the success of their meeting the arrogant aura he exuded turned her away from suggesting any sort of truce. Sure, she could get behind the Turks, but Shinra was an entirely different issue altogether.

Also, as Lightning learned with a small smile, she had had no shortening of visitors in her sleep: Marlene and Monty checked on her constantly in the days following her slow recovery. Heck, even Vincent and Yuffie arrived after receiving the news.

"They know what you're doing, Light...and they appreciate it, I know they do. Whatever it is that you guys need, we can help. We're here to support you one-hundred percent," Tifa beamed.

Lightning cross her arms uncomfortably. "Yeah, well so far I'm not doing such a good job. Passing out seems to be a daily ritual these days."

Tifa fiddled with the radio knob. "You're doing fine all things considering. And with that kind of power? Who knows what could happen. I know _I_ couldn't do it."

"Tch. That's what alarms me the most. I don't know every facet of this power...how much damage it could cause..."

Cloud stiffened at her side, but she ignored it.

Tifa waved a customer in with a genuine smile and moved to escort the new diner to a table. Lightning sat quietly sipping her water.

"So," she said, setting her glass down.

"...?"

"I'm alive. Too bad for you."

"Hmph," Cloud grunted, quickly bring the cup to his lips and drinking. Lightning looked over, finding a smirk on the edge of his lip. Her eyes narrowed.

"Something funny?"

"What? Ah, nothing...just, I was kind of hoping you would kill over...so we could at least get some Gil out of the entire ordeal–"

Lightning swiveled to face him, hand on hip. "Is that right?"

"Figured we might get about five Gil," muttered Cloud.

The ex-soldier opened her mouth to fire a comeback before Tifa appeared again, firing up the stove. "There's never enough time for a brief respite, eh?"

"–Nope." Lightning threw her comrade a glare. "You know, I still haven't met Yuffie properly," she mused, "after all..."

Tifa's face fell into the epitome of annoyance. "Don't remind me."

A slight laugh escaped Cloud's lips, unbeknownst to his fellow comrade. Yuffie Kisaragi, former AVALANCHE member and warrior of her hometown, Wutai, had aided Mont Blanc in raiding 7th Heaven's stock of Corel wine the night of the meeting at Healin Lodge. After the debacle that occurred on the cliff face, Tifa's nerves were running short...promptly she threw out Yuffie and attempted to get rid of Monty, to no avail.

Not only was Lightning visited by the energetic ninja, but also by the oppositely passive, silent Vincent Valentine.

"Vincent?" she asked in surprise. In the back of her mind words were screaming at her...somehow she knew she _should _remember...what was it? Vincent had asked her to purge the chaos from his body, but then...the visions she had witnessed in her dream...

_What am I missing here? _

"You okay?" Cloud asked, glancing over to find her eyes shut in concentration and a hand squeezing the bridge of her nose.

"Never been better."

As the sun climbed higher to reassert its lofty position in the sky (Lightning was still amazed at its size – Phoenix was microscopic in comparison) the bar was a highway of ravenous customers eager to dine once again in the cheery air of 7th Heaven, and although Lightning could feel a few curious glances tossed her way, she ignored them. The Turks had done a fine job of dispersing information about the paradoxes. Even Monty was devoting his sacred moogle breath on explaining the different distinctions between paradoxes, spacetime distortions, and Artefacts. With any luck, a civilian might be able to offer them a lead to a potential discovery of an Artefact.

Following the week-long hiatus the bar woman admitted the family had suffered a minor blow to their loss of profits from Cloud's delivery service and the bar, but as Tifa assured her with a smile, "We'll open and close an hour earlier and later every day until we make up for what we lost."

"If I ever come back after all of this, I'll bring a chocobo saddle _full _of Gil," Lightning said with a smile. She was satisfied to know that her strength was returning; it paid to be a trained soldier, she supposed.

"I'll hold you to it!"

A voice suddenly came from behind.

"Hey, you're the new Soldier Girl, aren't you?"

Lightning, standing once again after making small talk with Cloud, turned to find a man of her height with a welcoming smile plastered on his young face. Dressed in shades of black and grey, Lightning didn't spot a clear distinction between his style of wear between the other Midgar citizens she had seen roaming about.

"Is that what I'm known as now?" Lightning responded, sticking her hand out as he shook it heartily.

"Well, if we knew your name I think we could come up with a better alias, heh!"

"Can't argue with that. It's Lightning. Lightning Farron."

The man clearly felt the strong grip in her hand. "Damn, you've got a strong arm. You know, I've always had a lot of respect for soldiers, whatever universe they're from, doesn't matter. Fit as a fiddle, polite as can be, and strong as hell. Anyways, I'm Luca. Let me know if you need anything. I've got a small antique shop just around the corner if you're ever interested!"

"Sure thing," she responded, amused by his flustered words. Certainly he had been coaxed into introducing himself to her.

Suddenly his eyes began flicking back and forth between herself and Cloud, eyes slightly narrowing. "Damn..."

"...?"

Cloud had since turned (nodding a silent hello to the man) and was leaning an arm against the counter. The man raised a finger in disbelief, dropping it after several seconds.

"Are you two..._siblings?!_" Luca gaped.

An unintentional laugh burst from Lightning's throat as she mentally compared every single thing she and Cloud differed on. Even their appearance, in her eyes, was not similar enough to indicate relation.

Cloud was equally amused. "I don't think so."

"Definitely not," Lightning reiterated, crossing her arms.

Luca watched as Cloud's arms crossed in the exact moment. "If you say so...but you've got that hairdo goin' on, I just thought it looked similar."

A hand suddenly rose out of the swarm of diners, waving Luca back to his table. "Well, it was nice meeting you anyway! And don't forget my shop!"

Lightning nodded, following Cloud as they exited the bar, ascending the stairs. "For the record, the hair's natural," she pointed out.

At the landing Cloud stopped. "This is, too."

Lightning scoffed at the number of spiked fringes protruding from his blonde head. Yet when she met his gaze again they had no hint of teasing underlying them.

Lightning dropped her crossed arms. "Natural, huh?"

"Yeah."

Lightning chuckled quietly, veering around the corner. He continued on, opening the closet and retrieving their weapons. After all, 'no visible blades or weapons in the house!'

"Catch," he said, tossing her blade in a manner that prevented the bladed edges from so much as grazing the enclosed walls around them. Lightning raised her eyebrows at his skill in handling her gunblade, earning an earnest shrug in response. Cloud crossed his own colossal sword in front of him, wielding it with unnatural ease.

"Weapons in the house? Now that's a first," Lightning muttered, giving the Blazefire Saber a thorough inspection before lowering it at her side.

"It's for my benefit," Cloud said bluntly, watching her intently. Once her attention was on him he continued. "You don't remember what happened the day you went comatose, don't you?"

"How did you–"

"I'll tell you now, or the result would be worse if you found out from anyone else before you remembered."

"Then get on with it–"

"Your friend, Ghost–"

In that moment her fragmented memories bonded in synchronization.

"I turned him in to the Turks. He's in Healin now, at a medical clinic."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>The more I write my own story the more I can actually see it all happening, and you know, I'm glad I decided not to go with the typical pairing story. I can guarantee this plot would never have existed and Cloud and Lightning probably would have had sex about ten times already (I'm not saying I would have written it like that, don't get me wrong). Obviously that's a very general statement of Fanfiction stories, but it's interesting how many comments I've received outside of reviews talking about the benefits of telling a story when the author isn't focused on pushing the _romantic_ relationship of two people (or building one). That's one of the reasons I think Serah and Noel worked together so well; sure, you can argue they had perhaps a little chemistry, but other than that they were never all over each other, they were good friends who reached their goal (?) in a realistic way. Haha. They were pleasant, a weird thing to say for most Final Fantasy characters.

I sincerely hope you enjoyed. I've also revised Chapter 1 of WC, if anyone's curious to see the changes and updates in previous inconsistencies that plagued the first batch of chapters. I'll try and get to Ch.2-5 as soon as possible. Hence why this chapter is a bit shorter than normal.

-**Cranberry Knight-XIII **(good luck, Cloud!)


	19. Body & Motion

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **So it begins. Enjoy. Feel free to leave a review, I do love them so. :)

Anyone played _Final Fantasy Type-0_? This chapter, I feel, heavily echoes that game. Please do yourself a favor and play it, import it if you must if you haven't. With the localization all but confirmed by Hajime Tabata and Square Enix, North America will no doubt be receiving on when Agito is released.

This is a pretty big update, so I hope it gives you something to tide you over while I work on my FFXIII novelization for a few weeks.

Valiantly,

**Cranberry Knight-XIII**

* * *

><p><strong>.:<span>WORLDS COLLIDE<span>:. **

_Chapter XIX – Body & Motion_

**[**"Kyojin" – _Attack On Titan_**]**

The wall braced against Cloud's back shook dangerously under the sudden weight of his body rocked against it as Lightning curled her fist, slamming the underside of her arm beneath his chin, provoking him to move. Her eyes said it all.

"Say it again," Lightning growled. "I dare you."

When he didn't answer quickly she drove him further against the wall, gritting her teeth until they ground against her jaw, challenging him to dissent. She had yet to raise her blade against him and was fighting the urge to do so, but instincts were blurring the lines between comradeship and enemy, fast.

_Comradeship?_ Lightning seethed silently, tightening her hold on the Blazefire Saber.

In one fell motion she shattered it, pushing off of Cloud and retreating towards the stairs where she had more room to unfold her regal stance. Cloud remained pressed against the wall, watching her intently. Yes, she noticed the twitch of his hand, the miniscule flex of the finger curling ever so slightly around the handle, the darkened hue of is irises.

"You lied to my face to benefit yourself," she spat bluntly, glowering into his gleaming, cerulean blue eyes in bare distrust and disappointment. "Cloud."

"I had to."

Lightning shook her head in amazement, relaxing her shoulders slightly to laugh dripping with sarcasm. "You didn't know _what _would happen if you would've taken that chance. Telling Shinra about Ghost and expecting him to abide by your word and simply do nothing? No tests, experiments, whatever? Do you want to risk the chance of something happening to Ghost...like Vincent?"

His eyes widened and he staggered back, the first sign of emotion since drawing his sword. "Vincent told you what happened?"

"He told me a hell of a lot more than you ever bothered to," she snapped. "He told me how Hojo performed the countless, crude experiments on him, shredded the humanity from his body and replaced it with a more powerful force, planting a dormant monster that he can summon at will – Chaos. It's my job to get rid of his Chaos and no research is ever going to help reach that goal." Lightning stepped forward, pushing a fist against Cloud's shoulder and shoving him backwards. "Betray your own friends all you want, but like hell if I'm going to stand here and let Ghost become Vincent 2.0. Shinra is not a man to be trusted, Cloud. I fell for his ruse back at Healin, thinking that maybe I could fit in while this lasted, maybe I could do something to help your people. Turns out I was wrong."

The blonde refused to raise his sword against her, devoid of emotion. It angered her to the threshold of downright resentment, disgusted with Cloud's decision. After agreeing to her terms back at the church in preparation for Ghost's healing. Shaking his hand in truce. Victorious at Healin and triumphant against the mysterious Bahamut's attack on the cliff face.

It was all a farce.

Once again, she was met with a choice:

Leave now or confront the traitor and fight. Her muscles flexed to carry out the latter, the anger in her head rallying her forward in a vicious roar...her instincts begged her to fight him, extract the lies from his body and simply ask...

"Why?"

"What?"

"You don't understand what's going on at this very moment...do you?"

Cloud's eyes briefly cleared of the glaze that covered them moments ago. "What the hell are you talk–"

"Never mind." Lightning arced further towards the stairs. "So let me get this straight. You decided to lie to me and take Ghost into the Turks anyways whether I was in a coma or not. All for the sake of your family, for Tifa...Denzel and Marlene...and for _what? What_, Cloud? Reassurance? Security? Is that it?"

"That's n–"

"Cloud, _you can't fight the chaos_. What you're doing now is hopeless; you're traveling the coward's path!" Lightning's voice rose in fury, ignoring the steady decrease of noise from downstairs. "You cannot protect them in your powerlessness to the chaos."

She had him cornered as his eyes jerked to the side in reluctant understanding...she spoke the truth, and it hurt for her to say and for him to hear.

"Get it now? I understand, Cloud. You thought that by turning Ghost in to the Turks before the last bits of chaos residue completely dissolved they could manifest a cure for it. That maybe, just _maybe_ if something ever happened to Tifa or the kids in the future and I wasn't around, there would be a cure."

Cloud rose in defiance, raising his voice to match hers. At that point the walls trembled beneath their feet.

"No."

Lightning was nearly blinded by anger, exploiting his weakness without thought, digging deep into his psyche. And for a brief moment she seemed to imagine a burning sensation on her chest... nonetheless she pushed on, reckless in her attempt to lash out and vent her emotions that had plagued her descent to the bar earlier that morning, the lasting pain from the dreams...everything was caving in and no walls stood to protect her.

"The paradox you and Tifa saw the day we came back from the church...it scared you, didn't it? That's why you're doing all of this...tearing it apart before we've even had a chance to _try _and stitch together the Planet's glitches, it's paradoxes, pockets of time and space..."

_Cease now..._

There it was, that warmth blooming in her heart; her reflexive instinct was to grasp it firmly but she shoved the notion away, throwing her head to her side in frustration.

"Here's a question to ponder: what if that was my sister out there? What if _she _came through a paradox, alone and scared? Would you still take her in to Shinra? Huh?"

Cloud didn't answer, lowering his eyes passively...shameless?

The final words she wanted to shout in protest were swallowed by Cloud's voice as he finally, _finally _met her narrowed eyes in a blank stare, unmoving and uncaring. Before the words could form on his lips Lightning knew prematurely what they would say. And in the midst of the chaos between them she could feel the goddess panicking, yet too weak to intrude upon the former comrades and force their wills to one.

"You don't care? Or do you only care about yourself and those around you? The world? Does it mean _anything _to you?" Lightning blurted, backing towards the stairs again. The anger gradually decreased, replaced by the hollowness of disappointment.

"Fine. I'll go after Ghost myself...and don't try to come after me, or you _will_ regret it."

* * *

><p>And in the wake of her absence Cloud snapped into reality, staring down at his sword in horror, casting it away in horror to rid him of its presence. The backdoor to Fenrir's garage opened and closed within moments as silence hung like fog in the air, suffocating and thick in his lungs. Several minutes passed before he gathered the strength to stand properly, stiffly entering his room and throwing his sword on the bed where she had laid that very morning in the last stages of the coma.<p>

The morning light climbed higher in the sky, reflecting off of something in the corner of his eye. He looked over in surprise, snatching up a familiar chain. Holding it up to the light Cloud tightened a gloved fist around it and placed it on the window sill, anger bubbling inside him, aimed at...what? His stupidity? The lethargic answers that exuded the epitome of a brazen, uncaring hero?

Lightning's pendant was left abandoned amidst the dust and morning light, dull and dim as the world grew a shade darker.

* * *

><p><strong>[<strong>"Northern Luxerion – Morning" – _Lightning Returns_**]**

The garage door slid with a concluding _thunk_ at her heels, causing her to cringe as the sound pushed her forward into the paved alleyway whether she was ready or not, littered with wine barrels bearing 7th Heaven's angelic insignia. Midgar citizens passed her by, throwing the curious glance at her bizarre attire and appearance but otherwise continuing on in their business, wholly unaware of what devastation just occurred that could very well affect _all_ of them in the very near future. Her light but deliberate footsteps carried her to a destination she herself wasn't aware that she was traveling towards until with a start a moogle's irritable chirp sounded from behind her head.

"What the hell are you doing, lady?! Hey–where are you going, kupo?"

Lightning closed her eyes, breathing a few words of calming encouragement and turned to find Mont Blanc hovering at eye level, a rare sign of concern drooping his red bobble over. She blinked her eyes several times to shake the vision of the red tones that were saturated into black and white, blinding her with scarlet.

"Ku–"

"I'm leaving," she answered quietly, crossing her arms. "I won't ask you to come with me, but..."

Monty flitted to and fro, squinting his slivered eyes in shapes she didn't know how to decipher.

"...I'd appreciate the company."

In an instant Monty's harsh, rude exterior faded and until they reached a town square bustling with people, moving in a clockwise direction around a single monument that rose ten feet or more into the air, sporting a metallic structure shaped like a fireball. Lightning noticed the stark newness that the monument displayed, contrasting heavily with the amount of wear the surroundings buildings and homes showed. It was here that she found she could walk amongst the people of Edge without passerby staring at her.

Before she knew she had moved a muscle she stood before the monument, gazing up at its strange shape.

Monty hesitantly flitted to the side of her peripheral vision, beginning to blink in irritation.

"Where are we, kupo? Where's Cloud?"

Doubt creeped into the edges of her mind like a looming shadow; gauging her confidence as she pondered her decision. In the heat of the moment, had she thrown away all they had worked for? The meeting in Healin, purging the chaos from visible eyes in Aerith's church?

"I..."

The words were lost to her, and the answers were hers and hers alone to find. The goddess's aid was unwelcome; Cloud had betrayed her at the height of one of the most life-changing events she would ever experience

_And to think_, Lightning thought, _I put on a false front to_ _keep their sympathy away. _

Tifa had been cheery that morning...so cheery in fact, that she had sung a song about overcoming darkness, never backing down...on the radio it had boomed out so empowering, and now it seemed like a slap in the face. Had Tifa agreed with Cloud's decision? Lightning didn't imagine the barwoman ever agreeing to such a solution as that, putting others' safety before her own...and Cloud had been there, too, humming. She had risen from her stupor in agony and horror to find Etro's dream true as she struggled to maintain a clear head. Hearing the radio's song as it belted out words of safety and soundness gave her the strength to meet her friends below. An hour later Cloud exited with a simple gesture to Lightning, following him to the second floor of stairs without much thought. The course had veered to the hallway closet, where their weapons were stored. Cloud had tossed hers with the words that changed everything.

Why had his eyes turned so cold in that moment, the light in his eyes vanishing? Like an entirely new different, Cloud seemed to take on the persona of an uncaring... _ass._

Could she be sure that was even Cloud at all? The soldier she knew cared about human life, he had seen too much _not _to...and he had returned her to 7th Heaven, hadn't he? No doubt her body showed remnants of chaos when he left with their limp bodies on the back of Fenrir. He ran the risk of a civilian spotting the pile of humans on the back of his bike and possibly putting the kids in danger, even if his presence would have silenced the chaos anyway, but...something was missing. The look in his eyes–or lack thereof–drove her mad as she lashed out time and time again, mindlessly prodding deep into his mind and exploiting the weakness she knew would cripple him. His family was what mattered more than anything.

She'd confronted him, hadn't she? Or...

"Am I running away?" she muttered, staring past the monument and into the past.

"What, kupo?"

"Monty, what happened the day I fell into the coma?" she suddenly asked, turning to the moogle as he tapped a round, white stub against his chin.

"Uh...Spikey came back with you, passed out and half-dead, kupo! He said you used the goddess's power to save somebody from the chaos. Kind of stupid if you ask me, kupo."

"He didn't tell you who we met?" Lightning asked, incredulous.

_Did he tell anyone at _all?

"Kupo."

"Monty, do you know where Vincent went after he and Yuffie visited? A town, a name, anything?" Lightning asked, snapping out of her reverie. She began to walk with more purpose now.

"Yeah, kupo. Mideel, whyddaya want to know?" the moogle chirped as he flew after her, waving his fist at any wandering eyes that caught sight of him.

"Mideel?" Lightning paused, trying in vain to remember what the Planet's world map looked like; one that was covered in blood and dirt hung on a wall in 7th Heaven (she assumed it was from their travels several years ago) and on it, a mass of land spread from west to east, north to south.

"_See here? This is Midgar, and here's Edge. The city's broken up into Sectors and even though the Mako reactors aren't active anymore we still find it easier to designate the areas into sections. And over here..." _

_Tifa pointed to a small dot on the map that lay on the very South-Eastern end of Gaia. "That's Mideel. The ground's pretty unstable there because of an incident a long time ago when the Lifestream...it's been awhile since we've been there, but...someday maybe we can visit it, I hope..." _

Perfect.

Lightning turned up the pace and ducked into a dark alleyway, ignoring Monty's confused squeal as she fished inside of her uniform pocket and retrieved a rectangular object, metallic and slightly scratched on the surface and edges. She flipped it open as she had seen Cloud do, frowning at the odd arrangement of buttons placed on the phone. On Cocoon there had been two buttons to start and end a call; every other possible service was attainable by voice command.

"You stole his _phone_, kupo? You really are crazy."

"He left it hanging on Fenrir; after everything that's happened I can't say I feel bad about it," she snapped, tapping on the volume button.

"You – wait, what happened, kupo?"

"Vincent Valentine," she spoke into the phone's speaker, waiting several seconds before trying again.

Suddenly a small stub shot out in front of the screen, belonging to Monty. Lightning looked up in irritation, but sighed and handed the phone to the moogle as he tinkered away at it, jabbing several buttons in rapid succession before an automated dialing ring sounded. Scowling she took the phone, moving deeper into the muggy alley, dodging a sack of trash strewn across the middle of the cement. Waiting with bated breath she leaned against the brick wall, crossing her arms.

The ring ceased and a short burst of static filled her ear before Vincent's unmistakably low voice spoke.

"Cloud."

"Vincent? It's Lightning," she said quietly. She could practically see his eyebrows rising in surprise.

"_Should I be concerned as to why you're awake, possess Cloud's phone, and alone in Midgar?"_ he asked smoothly.

"Good ears. And no, you shouldn't, but I'm impressed with your accurate assumptions nonetheless. No, I woke this morning with about as much damage as a hangover. But I've got a favor to ask of you..."

"_It depends. Can you tell me what's going on?" _

"Your prediction was right the first time, you tell me." She swatted at a fly that buzzed near her face. "Look, I need to catch a ride to Healin immediately, and you're the only one that can help me right now."

A silence hung in between them; no doubt Vincent knew the truth before she did. She herself couldn't understand Cloud's motives, but Vincent could read him like a book.

"So?"

"_You're on foot and you're alone,"_ Vincent guessed.

"Yeah," Lightning grew impatient. "All I ask is if you can meet me outside of Healin as soon as possible. I can hold my own just fine."

"_It will take more than a favor to force me to travel from Mideel to Healin, and will take at least two hours as the crow flies." _

"It'll probably take that long for me to get there myself. Look, things have happened today and I know you'll understand my side of things."

"_I'm intrigued. Continue."_

She threw down her hand in surrender.

"I'm infiltrating Shinra's medical clinic tonight to get my friend back. And I need your help to do it. But with or without you I'm leaving, and I don't expect to return to Edge for a long time. So, are you going to lend me a hand or not?"

Vincent sighed on the other hand. _"Does this have anything to do with the chaos?"_

"Would I be asking you otherwise?"

"_Take the southeast exit train on the road to the Chocobo Farm and veer off at the first sign to Healin Lodge. Your biggest issue will be knowing when to exit the train. All routes from Midgar only lead to Junon.I will meet you at the base of the waterfalls beneath the dwelling." _

"Little close for comfort, don't you think?" Lightning muttered, remembering vividly the remarkable view the Lodge had of the surrounding environment, and especially the waterfall beneath it.

"_Rufus and his men have long since moved their headquarters since the incident on the cliffs. But if you want to find the clinic then it will require a bit of searching." _

"Why?"

"_The clinic lies at the bottom of a steep embankment in the mountains backing the Lodge. You would need to have the swiftness of a shadow to pass the outer set-up alone. And don't forget..." _

Lightning had exited the alleyway on the opposite side she entered, holding Cloud's phone to her ear as she jogged. Monty followed with a huff. Through the dips of the surrounding buildings and tangled wires webbing across rooftops the top of a Mako reactor protruded high into the sky. That was her destination.

"_The moment you step into that camp without authorization you are an enemy of Rufus Shinra. I will take you as far as the clinic, and that's where I will make my departure; this battle is not mine to fight. I don't know why you've turned against Cloud–"_

"Tch."

"–_But walking in unannounced to recapture a friend would be putting everyone in danger." _

"You think I don't know that? I'll make damn sure Shinra knows exactly who he's up against; meet with him myself if I must. My friend is not going to be a guinea pig for the Turks' experiments, not while I have strength in my body.

"Ghost and I have been in the same military unit since I was promoted to a Sergeant and even though he's a pain in the ass sometimes, being thrown into a new world with darkness suffocating you? Knowing him he's driven himself to the brink of insanity. I need to find him, and fast. He might know something about my friends. I can't let this chance slip away for the sake of research."

"_I do understand. So your mind is made up?" _

"Want me to snap a pic of the train I'm about to board for confirmation?" she grumbled.

"_...I'm surprised you knew about the train in the first place." _

"It pays to be a soldier."

"_Do you have enough Gil to pay for the trip?" _

She didn't answer.

"I was planning on taking the high road, no worries."

Lightning arrived at a station, bustling with passengers as they unloaded from various parts of the world. Some wore luxurious attire and others donned working overalls but all were exiting the train cars, stepping on to the narrow walkway where guards stood in patrol in the event a thug were to commit a swipe. Several tracks placed on the other side of the train could be seen, but with no other transportation in sight, this was her last chance. Her eyes caught sight of the notice board welded to the boarding times. This was the last train out until early dawn tomorrow.

"Damn," Lightning whispered, pressing into the shadows between arches. Her back pressed against a rusted latter as she did so. "Where in Junon does this thing stop anyway?"

"_What Sector are you in now?" _

"I don't know..." Lightning waved her hand to Monty, speaking swiftly. "Monty, I need you to fly up and find out what Sector we're in. You can see the reactors clearly, I just need the number of the one perpendicular to our position from the wall. Don't be conspicuous about it."

"Fine, kupo." The moogle followed the ladder's rungs to the roof, his red pom-pom flitting out of sight.

While she awaited his return she briefly threw her thoughts forward, trying to lay out her next plan of action. She was experiencing a whirlwind of emotions, but no matter what the cost, she was getting Ghost back.

"Sector 1, kupo!" Monty reported, swooping directly vertical from the ladder. The two tucked into the small space; a row of alcoves flanked the entrance into the front of the station and although there were citizens aplenty, that also meant guards were around every corner.

"How is the train on its last run anyway? There's hundreds of people here..."

"_Ever since the Turks started spreading word about the paradoxes, people have been worried some diabolical monster will phase into existence on the outskirts of Midgar. When the train line is running the gates are wide open, welcoming any intruders to come through. Once it's closed the only way you could get over the wall is by climbing. It's a precautionary measure." _

"Right..."

* * *

><p><strong>[<strong>"Boss Battle Theme 1" – _Lightning Returns_**]**

"A minute to board, kupo! It's now or never!"

"See you on ground side, Vincent," she sighed, hastily snapping the phone closed.

He was right. An ear-grating bell began to go off along the tracks as smoke puffed from a circular vent on the train, cueing the aerodynamic train into motion as it began to roll forward, pushing against the tracks, gradually increasing in speed. Lightning leaped out from the darkness of the archway and looked around the corner in time to catch the rear of the last train car slide out of view.

_Grabbing a ticket is out of the option...and there are guards stationed all along the platform..._

"Monty, grab on!" Lightning commanded, shifting into hyperspeed as she gripped the rusted ladder, scrambling up in seconds flat and pulling herself over the edge of the molded rooftop. With no time left to waste Lightning spotted the train as it continued to push forward ahead of schedule, exuding thick clouds of smoke in its trail.

Monty wrapped his arms around the red cape stitched into her shoulder and squeezed his eyes shut with a foul grimace of _very _severe discontent.

"You gotta get on the train before it's too late! Hurry up! _Ugh, kupo..._and before I lose my lunch..._again, _kupo!"

Lightning dropped to the ground on one knee and propped a heel skywards on the uneven surface of the roof, bending her arms at her side as she looked forward, shaking out the familiar wave of adrenaline that rushed through her veins in an exhilarating shiver.

"Still have motion sickness?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"Oh haha, wench! Say it again, wah-ugh-_kupooooo_!"

The moogle's words were lost in time as she bolted forward, tracking the train's progression in her peripheral vision and racing for the gap between the next two buildings, vaulting over it with ease as she did so. About thirty meters ahead was a crane in the midst of a construction site – and the area around it was littered with scaffolding. Unfortunately, as Lightning glimpsed while vaulting over an AC unit, a workman was instructing the crane's arm, shouting out orders from his seat to what she assumed was a group of men below. Unbeknownst to him, however, things were about to get chilly.

Thumping beneath her Guardian Corps uniform and under the mysterious tattoo palpitated her heart in a controlled, steadfast rhythm, monitored in the back recesses of her brain while her augmented body surged forward, racing against time.

When she leaped a particularly wide gap her eyes briefly glanced down to see a surprised gasp as her cape trailed behind her speeding form, and then she was gone from the witness's view. The train was moving steadily and she didn't have much time before it reached full throttle.

_If that guy would just move the arm over the train station's walkway, then maybe... _

"Monty, hang on tight!" she warned, shaking out her right hand, conjuring a casing of cool, aquamarine ice and holding it at her side as she raced forward, pushing her muscles to move her forward at speeds she didn't think possible.

With a grunt she landed on the building six meters away from the crane and shouted to grab the man's attention when he paused to wipe his brow. With the arm situated directly above a closed-off portion of the station's walkway she threw her arm forward, watching as a blast of ice speared forward and encased a bulky shell around the base of the arm, freezing its movement. The sun reflected off of the cobalt sheen of the crane's arm: her destination.

_Perfect...now if I can time this right, I should be able to land a roll and duck inside a car before it hits the outer wall... _

She poured an extra ounce of speed into her sprint, carrying her to the edge of the building and leaping towards the extended crane arm with one hand outstretched towards the metal hook and another at her side. In one smooth motion she snapped the index and thumb of her right hand, activating a wave of violet energy that erupted in sparks along the soaring figures. The sudden burst of momentum as she sailed through air in the Grav-con Unit's weightlessness carried her towards the hook in perfect execution.

"_You're crazy, kupopopoooo!" _

Lightning grunted as her hands curled around the hot hook, supporting the sudden addition of her weight as she swung her legs forward, using the last seconds of the Grav-con Unit to build as much momentum she could, watching the last couple of train cars begin to converge on the midpoint between herself and the other side of the tracks. She let the hook slip from her grasp as she sailed forward in a semi-circular arc, praying that she had calculated the distance right...

_And...now! _

She tucked her knees in and felt the hard shell of the train greet her feet in a shockwave of purple as the Grav-con Unit expended its last juices, softening the impact considerably as she knelt down, gripping a divot in the train's roof and hanging on for dear life as the train reached maximum speed, rushing towards the outer wall of Sector 1 like a hell-bound bullet, the world flashing by in a blur of blacks and greys.

_I made it...we're on our way to Healin! _

"Monty!" she shouted over her shoulder.

The moogle had his faced buried in the red cloth of her cape but otherwise sported no signs of heaving up any, ah...revolting vomit.

Lightning scowled. It was like the Historia Crux all over again.

She fisted his pom-pom and with the utmost caution slowly peeled away from the rounded roof and crawled forward, painfully aware of the approaching outer wall looming over the tracks.

"If you're going to throw up, do it now!" she shouted, gritting her teeth against the noise of the train bellowing beneath her stomach; tremors rattled her bones every time the train hit a small dip in the tracks.

Sector 1's outer wall of Midgar, like the three other entrances placed at the north, south, and west-bound walls, was constricted tightly around three exits burrowed deep into the wall that reached out into the rest of the world, allowing adequate room for the designated passenger – and the very rare cargo trains from the Junon area and beyond – to pass through. Of course there were the smaller gates that regularly opened for passing citizens, but as news spread from Midgar from the Turks of a new threat, gate watches and guardsmen were keeping their eyes peeled and enforcing strict policies on those who entered in and out of the city.

_Who knows where a paradox could occur? It seems like Gaia's ripe with hazard zones perfect for a paradox to pop up. _

Lightning and Monty slipped in between train cars and found solid ground on the rickety metal grate lining the platforms connecting the cars. Without another word she forced the heavy door open and slipped inside the passenger cabin, cringing when the wind whipping along the train slammed the door shut. Lightning turned to find herself alone in a living quarters hallway packed with wooden doors staggered down the entire stretch to the next car. She was surprised to find it roomy as she peeled Monty from her shoulder, absentmindedly offering him an encouraging boost into the air while she strode forward, brushing any smoky particles from her starch-white and tan uniform. The hallway was lined with two small lounge corners that featured windows giving a bleak view of the outside world – the Wasteland.

Crimson velvet curtains adorned the small windows and the chairs featured on opposite sides of the cabin were wrapped in a traditional covering of brown and gold, fit with matching tassels on the ends of the arms. Lightning flicked them in mute interest.

An interesting thing to decorate your chair with, golden string...

She continued on in silence, curious to explore the inside of the private cabins yet conscious that she was on board a Midgar train from Sector 1 with no boarding pass on hand.

_If I can find a public car I'll try to swipe a map and call Vincent... _

At the end of the long car she hurriedly shoved the door open, assuming the inhabitants were used to the passing of workers and maids.

The next train car was indeed as extravagantly decorated as the first, though dressed in violet velvet curtains and furniture wrapped in black animal hide. Once more Lightning leaned against the doors, moving from cabin to cabin after hearing some kind of inaudible noise.

_Damn... _

However, the next car proved to be different, and although the cabins were still relatively flashy Lightning sensed that this set of cabins sported a certain air of _wear_ the first two hadn't. And finally! A bathroom!

Just as a door slid open further down the hallway Lightning dodged inside, dragging Mont Blanc in the tight confines of the fluorescent bulb-lit lavatory.

"How...are you so upbeat? We're stuck in the middle of a people train, kupo! Where's your emo friend anyway?" Monty croaked.

Her satisfactory smirk faded, replaced with a bored scowl that Monty knew all too well. "I didn't know being happy about not becoming a splat on the side of a wall was a crime. Now do your business in the toilet if you must. I need to call Vincent and make sure I'm heading in the right direction. If I'm right we have another jump to make when we reach the midpoint between Healin and someplace called Junon..." Lightning glanced at the moogle with a mischievous smile. "And I do mean _jump." _

The moogle gulped, rushing to the toilet seat and lifting it up.

Lightning turned away and phoned Vincent, having a small bit of trouble before the ring went through.

"We're onboard."

_"That was faster than I anticipated." _

"Yeah, well...me, too."

_"I'll be arriving in Fort Condor soon. Until then, you will want to depart when you cross a deep ravine. It's the only one for miles until you reach the mountains around Healin. From there your path must take you to a road that runs between Midgar and the Chocobo Farm. Am I correct in assuming you remember the rest of the route?" _

Memories of traversing the arid expanse of the Wasteland's worst briefly flashed through her mind; ignoring the presence of the man she had accompanied their journey with to Healin, she clearly recalled the various network of dirt roads scattered throughout the Wasteland. One of them led to Healin Lodge, yet hundreds of alternate routes led to lands she didn't know an _inch _of.

"I remember it well enough," she answered truthfully. "Unless it's rained outside of Midgar in the past week or so, Fenrir's tracks should be pretty distinct, _if_ I can find them."

_"We have a wait ahead of us in the meantime. I won't arrive until evening, at the earliest. And you must use the cover of night if you want to make this as seamless and quiet as possible...given the circumstances." _

"Tch."

Lightning's smugness returned.

_You want quiet? _

_ "Good luck." _

_ You'd better take the next train._

* * *

><p>A similar conversation of this type flashed through her mind then, memories of her fight against the fal'Cie of Coocoon. Months ago on that fateful day she and her future comrades had been tossed together by fate as her sister was crystallized for eternity, Focus complete. Back then she had shut herself off from her companions, refusing the helping hand of others and charging ahead into battle without so much as a sympathetic glance offered to the foes that fell before her blade. That anger had powered her forward surge for several days until...<p>

_I let them in, and faced the faults that had burdened me... _

Vanille promised to challenge destiny and protect the very planet that had presented such a threat to her home, hadn't she?

Snow vowed to carry out Serah's wish to protect the world and save Cocoon, believing the youngest Farron's words with the utmost belief and faith.

Sazh felt a civic duty to protect his homeland and exact revenge one the true force behind his son's branding.

Fang pushed her hatred aside and stood beside her companions in Orphan's throne that day, the Second Day of Ragnarok.

And Lightning?

Her initial goal was clear: save Serah and cut down anyone who intervened. Simple, easy, and efficient.

Then they all became l'Cie, branded by the Pulsian menace that had long watched over New Bodhum within the Vestige. Blinded by anger her only wish was to find Serah and return to New Bodhum, but that soon became complicated as her fate gradually became intertwined with the survival of Cocoon. Her goal expanded to one thing, though still relatively simple in her eyes:

Save Serah, save the world, and end the fal'Cie rule so that future generations would not be subject to the god-like beings' possessive hold over the populace. So that...no one would be forced to go through what she did.

And she reached it by moving as one with her companions. Hope, Vanille, Sazh, Snow, and Fang. Together, they saved Cocoon and made miracles happen in ways they as Cocoon civilians never thought possible. They strived to be victorious because they strived _together. _No one was left behind when they made the final ascent to the Narthex after months of preparation, training, sweat, blood, and tears.

_We were victorious because we didn't run from our fate...instead we confronted it, beat it, and carved our own destinies. _

Which begged the question...

Was she risking the fate of the world – its past, present, and future – for the sake of comfort? Betrayal? Because Cloud had no choice but to turn in Ghost?

For the sake of knowing if Serah was alive and well?

_Had _she really confronted him at all, or had she ran...?

Lightning pondered the question, afraid of the answer that loomed above her head.

Or was she repeating the past, and running from her fate?

The goddess's weak intervention had done nothing to stop her as she retreated down the stairs and exited with Cloud's cell phone strap dangling from her fingers and a plan brewing behind her cold eyes.

"I'm missing something here..." she whispered, reaching to cradle the lightning pendant dangling from her neck–

"Huh?"

Her eyes trailed from the navy blue glove covering her hand to her chest, where a lightning bolt should have been hanging. However, her surprise quickly morphed into annoyance; remembering that morning when she had placed the pendant beside her as she staggered to the doorway in pain, distracted by the newborn tattoo. Lightning resolved to return soon to retrieve the pendant; in this world, it was all that remained as proof of her past, physical existence on Cocoon. Engraved on the backside of the silver read "MADE IN COCOON."

"Is the coast clear, kupo?" Monty choked out, wiping his mouth. Lightning stepped back, pointing at the sink. "Not my fault, kupo–" He stuck his face beneath the facet and poured water all along his white face.

The moogle suddenly lurched forward into Lightning's chest, squealing in protest as the two were thrown into the door, bursting through and spilling onto the carpeted floor of the train car in a tangle of human and moogle limbs. A tremor rippled along the train and an ear-grating metallic screech filled the cabin like nails on chalkboard as screams erupted all around.

The train was slowing down.

* * *

><p><strong>[<strong>"Rittai Kidou"–_Attack On Titan_**]**

Lightning clambered to her feet, staggering towards the nearest window facing the side the enormous impact had stemmed from. She threw back the curtains with apprehension, arming herself with her lethal gunblade, expecting the worst to happen. She craned her head in the corner of the window, pressing herself against the glass.

"Nothing," she murmured in surprise, eyes narrowing in suspicion. Monty was rolling onto his stomach, fluttering his wings before taking flight once more with a sickly expression, evident of his foul digestive system.

"Can't we ever...catch a break, kupo?!"

A flood of voices soon entered the skinny hallway as doors were thrown open and gasps of surprise surrounded her. Lightning turned to come face-to-face with a line of women and men dressed in identifiable suits, starched and crisp. Immediately she straightened and turned to race for the next car but a familiar shriek reached her ears, halting her progress. Slowly she turned to find Monty dangling between the fingers of a woman Lightning had seen a handful of occasions. The room froze as all eyes turned to the pink-haired figure. A total of four Turks occupied the space behind the blonde Turk.

"Let me go, you wench! Help me, kupo!" Monty snapped, slapping the woman's slim fingers with his white stubs.

Elena, one of Shinra's elite personnel.

"Let him go," Lightning warned, stealing a glance outside. No sign of the threat that had charged into the train...

"I know you...you're Lightning, Cloud's partner. Why are you here? And what are you doing on this train?"

The squad of Turks began to converge on her while the train rumbled on, gaining speed once again. Whatever it was outside...was it going to strike again?

_I can't let them apprehend us...if I'm captured before we arrive in Healin, Ghost is on his own. _

"There's no time to explain. Give me the moogle, and we leave with no injuries."

"No. I want to know why you're here, stowing away on a public train alone, and why there's a monster attacking us outside," Elena demanded, moving her fingers to the moogle's neck.

"What? I can't board a train without Cloud holding my hand? Get real," she snapped.

"You're lying."

Lightning's eyes widened in response to the woman's bluntness but kept her cool, shaking out a hand behind her back and flexing her fingers.

"I'll say it again: give me the moogle and no one gets hurt. And trust me, I keep my word better than the man you work under."

"Tseng, take–"

Lightning swung her fist forward and into the Turk's pale cheek with a satisfying crack, feeling the skin split beneath her knuckle as the woman lurched backwards into her comrades, releasing Monty in the midst of the chaos as she cradled her cheek in her hands, hissing angry curses as blood leaked from the edge of her mouth.

"Ikou! Come on!"

The moogle swooped up to snag onto her cape as she turned, dashing out of the train car without so much as a glance backwards..._just like old times_, she through wryly. She threw the door open and jumped over the gap between the cars, scouting out for the monster the Turk had described while she swung herself onto the roof once more, maintaining a sturdy hold on the dips in the surface. The intense speed conjured up a roar of wind around the train's shape, filling her ears with a deafening roar.

_Where did it go...? _

"Kupo! There!"

She turned her head to witness a beast of flight soaring through the pale, blue sky on wings of obsidian black, wreathed in a malevolent darkness she knew all too well. It arced in the shadow of the sun, spreading its wingspan to maximum width and extending the broad claws protruding from its limbs. Every movement of its wings pushed it to greater speeds as it swooped low, suddenly reaching out and clawing the air a hair's breadth from her face, dodging to the side before she could even react.

_What?! _

She scurried back, heart thumping wildly in response to the sudden attack.

_It's fast! So fast that I...didn't even have time to react to its attack..._

By now the Turks had emerged onto the platform, catching sight of her position and moving to detain the two of them. As they approached closer Lightning whirled with Monty clinging to her cape in terror. The pressure of the wind against her swiftly moving form was tremendous and if she didn't have the strength of a former l'Cie no doubt her figure would be a stain on the canyon below.

_...Canyon... _

A quick look around revealed that they were indeed crossing over a steep canyon spanning several thousand feet deep in the earth, dry as a bone and crisp as the sun's rays. One mistake could send a human falling to a horrible death below. However, if the train was passing over a canyon then maybe... Vincent's described ravine would be up ahead!

_"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON, KUPO?!" _Monty shrieked, pushing his vocal chords to the limit in a frail attempt to beat the pressure drowning his words. His body whipped around in a free-for-all as he turned to glimpse Tseng climbing aboard the surface. He was nearly hysterical as he exclaimed in her ear, "_Shit, woman, they're coming!_ Do something, kupo!"

Lightning ignored him, pumping her arms hard to beat the intense pressure driving her backwards. Bahamut began to descend again, extending its claws and tucking its wings inwards. She had seconds to make a decision that would either kill or save them all.

A sudden warm palpitation of the heart revealed she wasn't alone.

In the span of half a second she ripped Monty from the back of her cape and flung him off the side of the train, praying his shock wouldn't cloud his survival skills; the moogle had wings after all. Bahamut's screeching filled her ears as she turned to the Turks, throwing up a wall of fire to drive them back, screaming a warning at them in the futile attempt that they would understand. And then she twisted to face her new adversary with silver blade in hand and blue eyes set and determined, leaping into the air as the train rushed forward from beneath her feet.

Time phased into a state of almost complete and utter eternity.

She waited until Bahamut's scarlet red eyes were visible as it spiraled ninety degrees above, swinging her blade forward with as much weight as she could muster, yelling a cry of determination as silver and purple clashed in a shower of sparks and chaos, black and white. Lightning thrust her blade forward, feeling the monster's immense strength drive her downwards. She fought back with a fierce vengeance, gritting her teeth painfully and calling upon the goddess's power as it flowed freely from her arms and burst between them, the dam of light crashing open in an inconceivable sheen of beautiful, gossamer magic.

Immediately she felt the monster's strength diminish as the searing light dissipated and her eyes opened, squinting against the vivid light of the sun behind her opponent's head. When her opponent moved into the shadow of the sun Lightning froze.

It was then she realized with alarm that she now stared into the aggressive eyes of a man bearing an enormous blade fitted with a hilt whose eye blinked, gleaming red. Her grip loosened as surprise took over, eyes raking over the body of a man whose figure closely resembled the garb of the Chaos Bahamut, clothed in purple and black. The man watched her surprise as he leaned forward, suddenly gaining the upper advantage in their crossed swords.

_No...! Move, move, move!_

Before she could react his blade twisted the hilt of the Blazefire Saber in its clutches and flung it from her grasp into the infinite abyss of the canyon, hissing as the chaos covering it came in contact with the silver.

Lightning, completely taken aback by surprise, survived by the sheer force of her instincts as the hilt of his sword came down on the side of her head, slitting open the skin over her eye and brow. Only the thin shield she conjured in the last second saved her life. Immediately she plummeted into the oblivion of the canyon below, blood whipping above in her wake.

"Guardian of Valhalla...fall."

Lightning soared through the air at break-neck speed, struggling to right herself against the intense pressure as she fell, fighting against the explosion of red that burst in her vision. In between furious blinks she glimpsed the man's form above, remaining in the air as he watched her descent with a smug smile, landing on the train bridge with ease.

_I'll put my trust in you for now... _

The ground approached rapidly below her as she brought her hands to the middle of her chest, closing her eyes as she concentrated on the shivering warmth that was bubbling beneath her skin, a power that resided within her regardless of what powers she was bestowed with.

_Etro, guide me now._

"_ODIN!"_

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>And just like that, comradeship goes to hell. However, don't be so quick to blame Cloud. There may very well be other forces at work here…And as for Vincent being so willing to help Lightning, the dude knows more than he lets on, and as the authoress I can confirm it. Let's not forget the presence of Deepground as well...And I know I'll get a question about it: why didn't Lightning just buy a ticket on the train or simply jump on? Well, the answer to the first question is rather simple: to avoid being recognized after she knew what she was going to pull in Healin. She wasn't sure if Cloud or Tifa were going to search for her, better safe than sorry, right? As for the second, it stemmed from a rather hilarious event I witnessed. When shopping several years ago I noticed a little girl playing around on a treadmill without any parents around. I idled for a few minutes and waited, and finally the girl decided to see if she could jump on the treadmill while it was going at full speed. I'm sure you can guess where this is going. Anyway, she jumped, and completely ate it. Her knees practically crumpled and she just fell over. So with that in mind, I would imagine it would be incredibly hard to jump on a fast-moving train without sliding off or having some sort of momentum to propel you along. That, and it's more interesting to jump off a roof, grab onto a crane's hook, fly through the air (and with that view in the background?), and nail a landing. There, justified.

Also, I just rewrote about a fraction of the plot that takes place within the next ten chapters or so, _so_ if there is a delay it's because I'm tying up loose ends. I prefer this direction and although the ultimate destination will remain the same, the forthcoming journey still has plenty of branches to venture into.

I'm not great at action scenes, but I did my best. Maybe it helped that I was in a huge Shingeki No Kyojin mood. And yes, Caius makes his first appearance in a human form. Oh, and Lightning is always the punch lord. Always. I just made sure you didn't forget it. ;)

I sincerely hope you enjoyed the longest chapter update thus far...8,000+ words! I edited this over the course of two days but if I made a mistake anywhere please let me know. I usually go back on the day of uploading and check it on the mobile version, too, just in case.

-**Cranberry Knight-XIII**


	20. Corporeal

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **A recap of WC's background and sub-plot. Feel free to skip this if you understand enough as is, but this was mainly written in order to provide a recap and update everyone on what's happened since Lightning arrived to the Planet.

Another note: this chapter is a progress report filled out by an employee to an unknown facility. Words in italics would be actually written and the capitalized, "normal" font/slant are typed, the template of a document.

And once again, thanks to everyone's reviews for the last chapter! Apologies for the late update.

Valiantly,

**Cranberry Knight-XIII**

* * *

><p><strong>.:<span>WORLDS COLLIDE<span>:. **

_Chapter XX – Corporeal_

FILE _#6_ – _D. Naghi_

ID CODE: _type+_

AUTHENTICATION CODE: _DD012-1376-13B9_

WITNESS REPORT/INITAL _examination_

SUBJECT: _Lightning Farron_

_May I begin this brief report by informing you that a duplicate copy of this file and DNA samples of the woman's hair has been sent along with my assistant, Alia Zaidelle (authentication code: 05-10-200-4XX-AF). I assure you that the samples and copies of my reports have been secured within a lockbox that only DG's most prestigious personnel can unlock, and that you will receive the package by tomorrow._

_Beginning this observation report, I have nothing but positive feedback to return to you. Our research has finally born fruit, and I am confident that this subject will aid our project and fund our research with vigor. It is her wish to protect her sibling, a younger sister by the name of 'Serah Farron' that blinds her, and I believe we can exploit this weakness and draw her in. Unfortunately, it is also with disdain that I must report – the subject is not wholly perfect. She bears the marks of many battles, and her skin and bones have not fully healed from past missteps, injuries I assume to my greatest knowledge she attained from previous military training and her involvement in a past battle (these details Zaidelle herself has written of, in her third report; I will ask her to confirm this with you when she arrives tomorrow). _

_Expanding upon this, she wears a customized uniform fitted to her figure, which is athletic in form. I don't doubt her ability as a sergeant in her former military ranks, under the name of the "Sanctum." When she arrived with Strife she wore a leather holster buckled to the belt around her waist, efficiently stowing a type of gun – and my evidence for saying so results in what I witnessed to be a leather handle protruding from the end. However, with her experience I would imagine she has several other weapons hidden in the folds of her uniform, or in her knee-length boots, which are crafted of a thick, sturdy material, bearing several permanent scratches but still relatively polished – the subject is a woman of pride in her image as a soldier. Indeed, she walks with a confidence that shames her male partner. I would estimate, gathered from the snippets of her past that she revealed in the meeting, that this subject had been previously active in her military for several years. Assuming that we are correct in guessing her parents have perished, I believe the woman joined the ranks at an early age. The green pauldron she wears on her left shoulder bears two stripes of pulsing yellow light, a strange accessory. I have not yet determined its further use beyond signifying military rank. Engraved lightly into the center of this pauldron is an insignia of foreign design, no doubt the insignia of her local military branch. _

_Zaidelle is working at full speed to unearth more details on these military ranks, as this research will provide us with a basic understanding of the political structure of her previous world, and offer valuable insight into what basic training the subject has under gone. However, as reported in my first documented file, the subject's stories of her time as a l'Cie give me reason to assume that in the time since she was branded with this mysterious "illness" or "powers" her strength has since grown. _

_I understand your immense precautions, sir, but we must be extremely careful and tread lightly when dealing with this particular subject. These two former soldiers would make a terrifying enemy should we be on the opposing ends of their blades._

_Now, Rufus returns. I must leave. Please remind Zaidelle to return with a new toolset, as my own set continually disappears, and it really is beginning to become a nuisance…_

ID CODE: _Type+-O_

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>I'm feeling the writer's block begin to come in, so this was uploaded instead of originally as part of a chapter. I expect to be on a hiatus for a few weeks.

Also, the reference here was pretty much right in your face. I hope you didn't miss it.

-**Cranberry Knight-XIII**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 20.5 – The Story So Far<em>

Note: It goes without saying that all references, story recaps, and miscellaneous/trivial info contain spoilers. I try to keep them at a minimum unless I think very few readers caught on, but read at your own risk.

**STORY RECAP**

**Chapters 1-20**

As the sun begins to set on the vaste steppe of Gran Pulse, Lightning Farron wakes to find herself alive and free of the crystal stasis she had resided in not minutes ago. Reuniting with former comrades-in-arms and friends: Snow, Sazh, and Hope, Lightning is elated to find her sister freed from the burden of a l'Cie. Together they celebrate their awakening and Cocoon's crystallization, the result of their two friends' – Vanille and Fang – extraordinary sacrifice in the face of impending doom. However, as the small group of former l'Cie begin to make their way to the base of Cocoon's newfound crystal pillar, a familiar face greets them halfway. Sergeant Ghost, Lightning's former comrade in the Bodhum Security Regiment. He bears grim news: because of the suffocating amount of propaganda Barthandelus – Cocoon's former Primarch, Galenth Dysley – unleashed during the l'Cie's journey, the Cocoon populace is still relatively ignorant to the truth of the l'Cie and who the true villains were. As it stood, Ghost explained, they should remain incognito for their own safety.

As the tension begins to settle a peculiar streak of black makes its way across the sky towards Cocoon. Alarmed, Lightning suddenly finds herself surrounded by a thick, black substance as the ground beneath her rumbles and cracks. She cries out a warning to her friends in vain but is soon dragged into the abyss, reliving images of her journey as a l'Cie, all the way up to the finale battle against Orphan and is eventually soothed into unconsciousness.

Hearing the familiar sound of waves settling upon the seashore, Lightning awakes to a world utterly beyond her imagination. She soon meets a moogle – Mog – who explains to her what world she has arrived in, and what her newest task is. The goddess, Etro, has gifted her with powers beyond comprehension in order for Lightning to serve as a "Guardian of Valhalla." Danger is brewing on Valhalla's horizon, and the balance of the two worlds hangs in the balance. Only she and one chosen other, a man with golden hair, can protect the realm, together. Confused and worried, Lightning accepts the help of Mog and fellow friend, Mont Blanc, a moogle with a bad attitude. Together they open a time gate situated in the ground and leap into time. With the basic knowledge of a sudden barrage of new words like "Etro," "goddess," and "paradox" Lightning is once again fighting against a destiny she never asked for.

She soon awakes again to an unfamiliar world with Monty nowhere in sight, submerged in what can only be classified as "chaos" – a mysterious, infinite substance existing as both a liquid and solid. After emerging from the pond Lightning soon meets Cloud Strife, the prescribed Guardian Mog detailed in Valhalla. Tired after the whirlwind of events, Lightning agrees to go back to Cloud's home, a bar called 7th Heaven and situated in the middle of a bustling city called Midgar. Lightning details her past and task to Cloud and Tifa, who in turn offer several details about the new world she's arrived in.

That night Barrett warns Cloud about rumors circulating the church. With the Stigma still lurking about the last stragglers around the Planet continue to travel to Sector 5's church in the hopes of curing the disease. While it is no longer fatal the disease is still, nonetheless, an ugly reminder of darker times. However, with chaos bursting from the open time gate submerged in the pond, Cloud and Lightning have no choice but to return where they encounter Rufus Shinra, former ShinRa president and son of President Shinra. Lightning, miffed by Shinra's lack of care of her sudden appearance and suspicions about the Turks, slips away but Cloud stops her. After Monty suddenly reappears beneath a pile of ash and debris, the three move into the church where Lightning decides to use her newfound powers to drive the chaos away. She succeeds in giving the church plenty of leeway but in the process knocking herself out, and learning a valuable thing – she can fight the chaos with Etro's shared powers, but she is in no way immune and very vulnerable to it.

After Cloud rescues her and hauls her back to 7th Heaven to have Tifa heal her (it's not mentioned, but Cloud actually stops halfway back to Midgar and uses several healing material on Lightning). Tifa performs a healing session but is abruptly stopped when the house begins to rumble, and pockets of air around her and Cloud's bedroom suddenly began to convulse and burst, showing visions of the future of 7th Heaven. Before Cloud forces her out of the way Tifa glimpses 7th Heaven's supposed future – burning to the ground in a brilliant ball of crimson flame.

Later on in the day after Lightning wakes up Tifa and Cloud reveal what happened: a paradox split open inside of the room, a random occurrence of time distortion that occasionally happens in areas where tragedy and destruction has taken place. Mog explains the ins and outs of paradoxes and spacetime anomalies to Tifa, Cloud, and Lightning with his classic sprinkle of attitude. Of course, all of Midgar is ripe for paradoxes to sprout. The paradox, conveniently, only swallowed up Cloud's bed, and spit it out in place of the Buster Sword, which Cloud and Lightning return that very afternoon.

When they arrive Lightning learns that Cloud's friend was a soldier and indeed died on that very cliff face. It's a moment of quiet beauty as Lightning ascends the cliff to find a small clump of flowers growing at the base of the Buster Sword's indentation in the hard ground. Before they leave she offers a fellow salute to the memory of Cloud's friend.

In that time Rufus has called an emergency meeting for the Turks and majority of 7th Heaven to discuss their plan of action in the lodge at Healin.

Note: the mysterious "call" Tifa places after Lightning and Cloud take off? That was to ask Vincent to attend...and ask Yuffie to watch over the place. Bad move, Teef.

Back at the lodge, the room is overflowing with a sea of black and needless to say, Lightning is unsettled by these strange people she knows next to nothing about. And they're all expecting her to spout some inspiring speech to convince them to join her cause. Ad-libbing like nobody's business, Lightning goes into brief detail about her past adventures and what led her to finding Valhalla, meeting Mog and receiving this monstrous task. One particularly persistent Turk, Alia Zaidelle –

Note: Huge, huge, huge note. Zaidelle. Ring a bell? How about this:

Alyssa Zaidelle of _Final Fantasy XIII-2_. Ahhhhh! You say. More on that in future chapters.

–who does her best to get under Lightning's skin, to no avail. Lightning assures her that her intentions are the will of the goddess and in turn, pure. However, as she goes to answer a question of a certain "Naghi" she feels a sudden sharp twist in her chest and the gentle, mumbled words of the goddess overlap her own as she fumbles to find an answer.

She only wants to ensure a secure future for her sister, Serah. For all of them. Her speech earns a grudging round of applause and the meeting is split into an intermission. As drinks are passed around Shinra broaches a plan to Cloud, suggesting that an easier solution to all of their problems would be to simply bomb the bottom of the pool and destroy the time gate. Angered, Cloud lashes out but Tifa calms him while snapping at Rufus for his ignorance of Lightning's significance in their battle against the chaos. Lightning backs outside for a few moments of silence and finds that a violent storm is brewing yet strangely, she is drawn to its immense energy and power. Before she can ponder the voice she heard Vincent Valentine appears and properly introduces himself to Lightning. At the end of Vincent's story Lightning realizes that he is asking her to use her Aeterna to cleanse his soul of the Chaos form he possesses. Initially she refuses, stating that she barely has a hold on the power and without proper control it could remove the natural chaos from his body and essentially disintegrate his heart.

The meeting resumes and the last questions about the chaos situation are answered, and 7th Heaven's group leaves after a brief wait for Cloud, who chooses to tail behind Barrett's truck despite the howling wind and violent storm.

Lightning takes the moment to congratulate herself on her successful speech and asks Tifa a few questions about the church and its value to the group, as well as the demeanor of Alia and Naghi. However, their conversation is cut short when Lightning spots a familiar purple creature soaring through the sky. Before she can question it the Bahamut-look-alike sets the road ahead of the truck ablaze and the road caves in, leaving Lightning and Denzel to take a tumble down the side of the cliff. Lightning is wounded by a branch piercing through her window but the truck comes to a teetering stop on the end of a boulder. Fearing any further movement will send the truck completely over the edge, Lightning commands Denzel to abandon the truck and meet the others atop. As soon as the boy leaves the truck begins to groan and screech over the side of the boulder. Lightning escapes in time to see the truck explode at the bottom of the ravine.

After meeting up with the others, Lightning sees an opportunity. If the "Bahamut" Eidolon was wrapped in chaos like she saw on the road then it must have traveled from Valhalla, and therefore through a time gate. However, unless the Eidolon emerged from the pond (which would cause the entire floor to rupture if the Eidolon didn't drown by then) then it must have arrived from a different time gate. "We track it," she says, but Tifa is frustrated and silences her before she can continue. Feeling the tension Cloud approaches Lightning and agrees with her plan. Lightning muses over Barrett's lost truck and makes a comment about gil, eliciting a surprised smirk from Cloud; yet another similarity between their worlds revealed.

The next day Lightning and Cloud revisit the church to search for signs of the chaotic Bahamut and the chaos level. Lightning muses over Cloud's newfound immunity from saving her when she first jumped in the pond. They share a fleeting moment of jokes before a sudden sound outside alerts them. It's Sergeant Ghost, Lightning's former comrade in the BSR. Evidently appearing from a paradox, Ghost is being killed by chaos.

Lightning immediately goes to carry him but the immense power of the chaos disorientates her, and Cloud's presence neutralizes it. After a fit of arguing over whether to turn Ghost in to the Turks or tend to him at the bar, Lightning decides to use the Lux to draw the chaos from Ghost's body. She succeeds in doing so, but as with every past wielder of the Lux Aeterna, her body and heart consumes the chaos and she absorbs it, falling into a deep, impenetrable coma that lasts for thirteen days.

During the coma Etro shows her a vision of the day her mother died. Replaying the event through youthful eyes Lightning realizes that her mother may have known something about the goddess, and the simple "epidemic" that killed so many Cocoonians was in reality, a form of chaotic Geostigma. When Lightning, Serah, and her mother fall asleep unconsciously Lightning's hidden Aeterna reacts on instinct to the unbalanced amount of chaos in her mother's body, and means to cleanse it. However, without Etro's intervention or Lightning's awareness the Aeterna crushes her heart and the chaos is absorbed in the young Claire's body.

As Lightning awakes from her coma she feels angry and disappointed at Etro's foolishness. However, Lightning is racked by light-headedness and means to head for the door until her heart burns in pain. Lightning tears away at it to reveal a small black tattoo, shaped like an elongated oval.

Several minutes later after she has come to terms with her situation Lightning meets up and regroups with Cloud and Tifa. Still fairly shaken over events she nonetheless hides her feelings away. After regaining her strength with food Cloud asks her to follow him, where he hands her the Blazefire Saber.

"It's for my own benefit," he says, and reveals the news that he chose to turn Ghost in to Rufus's team of Turks, who have set up a medical clinic/research facility in a clearing near Healin, where studies are being conducted on chaos samples and now Ghost.

Yet something ignites between the two and they become blinded by anger and rage, like a red film has been placed over their eyes. Cloud loses all interest in the matter and Lightning attacks him, threatening to harm him should he follow her to get Ghost back. She leaves without another word and the farther she gets from the strange aura of anger that surrounded them the more rational her thinking becomes. However, she's still worried about Ghost's mental health and brings Monty as she and Vincent devise a plan to sneak Ghost out of the clinic. However, Vincent may know more than he shows. Dropping everything and taking a flight that will last several hours to aid a relative stranger, even if she is the key to his salvation? Hmm.

After boarding the departing gate and escaping through the Sector's wall, Lightning and Mog make their way through several cars, avoiding encountering any passengers. However, when they reach a certain car the train is suddenly rocked with tremendous vibrations, sending woman and moogle into the carpeted hall. The room doors are thrown open, revealing a small team of Rufus Shinra's Turks. They converge on Lightning, demanding why she's stowing away on a train, but with some quick thinking and judicious use of her fist Lightning and Mog escape onto the roof of the train.

The train's attacker immediately makes itself known – the Chaos Bahamut that had attacked them after the meeting in Healin. As the creature begins to dive down, Lightning throws a wall of fire to drive the Turks away and chucks the moogle out of sight.

She rises to meet the Bahamut in a struggle for dominance. Yet as her unleashed Aeterna flows through the Bahamut is reduced to the size of a man wearing purple clothing, hair, and red eyes. Without hesitating he attacks her and sends her flying into the canyon below.

With a hostile enemy gazing down at her and a hard, rocky death awaiting her below, Lightning summons a being she trusts more than her own self:

Odin.

* * *

><p><strong>MISCELLANEOUS<strong>

**Lightning's goddess-given "Aeterna": **

Note: Sometimes referred to as simply "Lux" or "Aeterna," this is a direct reference to the song "Lux Aterna" which means "light eternal" in Latin. Upon arriving in Valhalla, Etro bestowed upon Lightning a gift: the ability to call upon the goddess's power of purity and light to fight the chaos, to destroy it. The process is akin to a ritual: Etro merges with Lightning's mind in a type of spiritual presence and she channels the power through Lightning's heart, eroding chaos particles with ease. In the beginning of WC Lightning is still relatively blind to its more potential uses but for now, she uses it to clear the church of chaos, heal victims of Geostigma, and is in the process of training herself for Vincent's cleansing.

**Cloud's immunity: **It's only fair that if Lightning has the ultimate power gifted to her by the Goddess of Death Cloud should at least have something to give, right? Well, his power is an important one – an immunity to the substance of chaos. More on that in later chapters. I'd rather show you than tell you.

**The nature of the goddess, Etro:**

Though her intentions are kind-hearted, Etro is nonetheless a naïve, foolish goddess who doesn't look past the current "here and now" and analyze the possible consequences for her actions, resulting in immense catastrophe. After single-handedly wiping out a majority of Pulsian soldiers during the War of Transgression, Etro began to retreat within the confines of her shrine, and has not been seen in her physical form since. With her power waning quickly she gives Lightning the task of guarding her realm against an unknown force that only wants to kill the goddess. And for reasons unknown to Lightning, Cloud is the yin of her yang, and together they must guard Valhalla from the dangers of the unknown.

**Are there other deities besides the ones we know of in the Fabula Nova Crystallis mythos? **

Yes. Specifically, only one other and whether you want to label her as an actual "deity" or not is something you yourself can decide in coming chapters. No other reveals for now.

**Monty's background: **Mont Blanc's appearance description is a very direct reference to Type-0's moogles and as such, Monty's "mysterious background" is indeed, Orience. Like Mog he can't remember much about his past existence before arriving in the Void Beyond, but as the authoress I can tell you he was originally Sice's first moogle before suddenly disappearing at the hands of unwarranted snooping in Arecia Al-Rashia's office, and came across a small chunk of Chaos Crystal that had appeared in a paradox, the contact throwing him into the Void Beyond with nothing but his Suzaku badge on the carpet to serve as evidence of his departure.

* * *

><p><strong>Worlds Collide Themes<strong>

Since this entire story is inspired by a handful of songs I find it fitting to hand-pick a theme song for the first entry in this trilogy. While I'm the final vote here (meaning yes, I can veto) I still want to hear you thoughts on what you think would be a fitting theme song for WC, taking in all you known about it so far. Its themes, plot, characters, everything.

-"Bleeding Out" – Imagine Dragons

-"No Light, No Light" and "Cosmic Love" – Florence + the Machine (I'm a little iffy towards these because some might think they suggest a pairing, so...)

-"What the Water Gave Me" – Florence + the Machine (I feel like this song embodies the eeriness of chaos, and "Atlas" is Caius in my mind.

-"Ghost Lights" - Woodkid. Because it wouldn't be right not to include him as a candidate. I am in love with his music.

Now, Lightning and Cloud's theme songs for this fic have already been revealed awhile ago, but if you forgot and you're curious...

Lightning's theme song: "Blinding" – Florence + the Machine

Cloud's theme song: "Safe and Sound" – Kyosuke Himuro & Gerard Way

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>If you managed to make it through that entire wiki-esque wall of text, you deserve a slice of cake. Really. Any more questions? PM me, I always answer!

Hope you enjoyed the little snippet that is chapter 20 and 20.5. I'm really busy right now (hence why this chapter took a month) but I'm hoping to get back into the groove of things soon and jump back in with the first "boss fight." ;) Also, I'll be playing Lightning Returns this November, so I wouldn't expect another chapter until December, especially since it's a fight scene, something I've never been good at writing but always wanted to improve.

So, a random thing happened to me. I'm a big fan of anything J.R.R. Tolkien, and I had a weird desire to look up the word and page count for _The Hobbit_, which in my hardcover edition is 320 pages and 95,000-96,000 words. This fic is at 84,000 words with at least, at _least _over 60,000 words left before the story ends. That to me, is insane. I guess when I pull it up on Microsoft Word it doesn't look like that much writing, but...wow.

-**Cranberry Knight-XIII**


	21. Voice of Anarchy

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **So, a quick update on _Lightning Returns_. I've now played through it four times, on Normal Mode and on Hard Mode. And it's very good, has a few noticeable flaws but overall doesn't detract at all of the experience. I didn't enjoy the story as much as FFXIII but I find it a vast improvement from FFXIII-2. Lightning as a character develops quite a bit throughout the game, and while the main cast from FFXIII doesn't get to share the spotlight as much they still have their moments of glory. The graphics look very lovely on my screen, and I've never been one to hamper on lower textures, though the textures are only noticeable on the rocks in the Dead Dunes and in Luxerion. Overall, a quick rating would be about a 8.5/10. Very good, but has a few flaws that keep me from rating it higher.

As always, feel free to **review**, and welcome to the year of 2014 of _Worlds Collide_.

Valiantly,

**Cranberry Knight-XIII**

* * *

><p><strong>.:<span>WORLDS COLLIDE<span>:. **

_Chapter XXI – Voice of Anarchy_

_The divine idol that which I have surrendered my servitude to is the embodiment of darkness and cruelty, I have learned today. In my haste to do Her bidding I cast a blind eye to Her as she sat upon the crystal throne of chaos... _

_On the far reaches of this Third World I find refuge from Her prodding mind, constantly reaching out with Her vectors and plunging deep into the immortal psyche, for we are no beings of the human race. It is here at the edge of the blackened sand that She cannot reach me, nor hear all of my lingering thoughts. I learned of this eons ago at the time of my becoming unto this hell. _

_ Her jealousy, Her envy, Her quiet rage, bubbling and malevolent in practice upon Her subjects, like a dagger of wrath that She spikes into us all with a sadistic grin...and what emotion she cannot rid herself of She forces away, shrieking into the eternal night from which She was born until She is content and falls into yet another repose. It is a bellow that even the far reaches of Etro's – I pray that She has not heard me utter the word – Realm tremor from the power of its volume. _

_ I have watched this episode occur as an element of my Initiation to join Her side in this battle of no end. If I survived, She told me in the calmest breaths, my being would forever be intertwined within the life of Her Realm. The challenge was to survive the night without raising a hand against her as She sat in agony upon Her throne, writhing in pain and throwing Her head back to sob into the night. It was Her most vulnerable state, She revealed. When I questioned why so valuable information be revealed to a mere messenger between the realms She laughed, which caused me to cringe._

_ And if I did not pass and attacked, the blood in my body would burst...another layer of red to blanket the Ashensand. It explained why the sands were covered with the glittering grains of crimson and black, intermixed._

_I, to this day, wonder how I survived Her calls, Her screams and shrieks of rage and suffering that night. Kneeling with my head pressed to the cold, crimson sand I listened to Her for hours, feeling my past mind evade me, torn from my being and tossed outside the Realm. She had stripped my humanity from me. What remained of it. _

_ The black tears that fell scorched scars upon Her pale face and burned the black hairs of Her head. The next day the wounds had vanished. _

_ By some curse or miracle I refrained from attacking Her. I did not plead with Her to cease Her screams, I did not raise my hand to slit Her face into ribbons as I had done to so many others before. I did not flee on wings of night. _

_ I submitted to Her will, and survived to see the twilight. _

_ But as I grew accustomed to the nights pierced constantly by Her voice it was only until the revelation struck me across the face that I understood... _

_ The pain, the tears that burned into the muscle of Her cheeks, the injuries She attained from battling the unwilling hero on Her own shores... _

_She embraced it all. Welcomed it. _

_ The pain was Her ally. _

_ Without pain, without consequence, you cannot hope to be an ally of the chaos. That is the law of this Realm. _

_ On this day I send a last word for aid in vain...these black deserts are plagued by chaos...it is here where you will find the center of evil. Find it, destroy it. I do not wish to see it rise into the light and subdue the forces of the innocent and all that is whole. Delve into the very roots of this world and tear the tether it holds to the universe! Rip it apart! Set these crimson-black sands afire! Smother Her during the Initiation! To whomever this message may reach in the mystery of the Void, brandish your sword and strike Her down! Pierce Her pale body to the crystal as a witch is pierced upon the stakes!_

_ Slay the Voice of Chaos and banish Her into the light, where She will be consumed for eternity!_

_And lo, She _will _fall!_

-Voices of the Void Beyond

* * *

><p>Chaos...darkness...<p>

Decaying corpses strewn in every direction...

An island of obsidian sand...tinted crimson in the everlasting moon.

A single throne of crystal...a figure...

Is it...a woman...?

Step forward...

Her eyes are peacefully closed...

Head resting against a hand balanced on a chair arm...

Tentatively call out...

The Eyes snap open...

Terrifyingly, mercilessly, bottomless, beautiful crimson irises.

* * *

><p>Sunlight, luscious and warm, drifting through the glass panes of the bedroom.<p>

Outside of Edge's 7th Heaven bar the world had seemingly slipped into a gentle repose, even as time marched on.

It was here in this quiet oasis that Cloud Strife woke to find himself in a cold sweat, breathing heavily and lying face-down in his own bed, sheets clenched tightly in hands. A hollow ringing still echoed inside of his ears as he sat up heavily, looking around in surprise. Seconds ago he had awoken from a terrifying dream to...this? Envisioning crimson orbs in a sea of black crystal, waking to find the undying sun's rays casting its light on the earth as always?

Yet before he could ponder it further a voice echoed from outside the hallway, calling his name in increased levels of worry.

"Where did those two head off to...Cloud? Did they take off without saying anything...? _Lightning?"_

The door opened with slightly more force than needed, revealing Tifa Lockhart standing in the doorframe with a cell phone plastered to the side of her ear.

"Can I call you back in a second?" she spoke hurriedly into the speaker, snapping the phone shut without waiting for an answer.

"Cloud, what's wrong?" Tifa kneeled down, peering at his darkened face. The worried crease in her eyebrows smoothened as she sat back on her heels, pursing her lips. "Where's Light?"

"..."

"Cloud?"

"Gone."

"...What do you mean, _gone_?"

"She left."

"Cloud, what are y–"

"Tifa."

"...Yes?"

Cloud's voice shrunk and no matter how much of a whisper he tried to conjure the stillness of the room amplified his every word. "I told her what happened to Ghost. Said that...I said Ghost was at Rufus's place."

Tifa drew a deep breath and closed her eyes in frustration. Cloud could hear her exhaustion emanating from her slow, shaky breaths.

"Well, did you forget the convenient details that it's a damn _medical _clinic to treat victims of the chaos and Stigma? Cloud?"

"Tifa, I–"

"Cloud, she's the only thing we have to fight this. I know you want to believe you can protect us by yourself but..." Tifa faced him, "...the truth is, Cloud, you can't...not on your own. And I _know _that's not what you want to hear, believe me, I know it is. And I believe in what you're capable of. I know you better than anyone alive. But this problem, Cloud, the chaos?"

The feeling of helplessness.

To feel like an outcast observing a world from the viewpoint of the clouds in the sky, unable to do nothing as a world is fatigued by disease below your existence. To feel like a coward, running away while those you love and cherish are susceptible to a force you can simply glide through...and you run by them.

When you're not needed, what role do you accept?

It's enough to cause anyone to fall into despair.

"...We need Lightning here, Cloud. Not only for the sake of this entire planet, but the kids: Marlene and Denzel. If something happens and another paradox opens up and we're not here to get them to safety, we have to rely on Lightning to protect them."

"We're not dead, Tifa," muttered Cloud, annoyed.

The bed sunk as she took a seat by his side, sighing; Cloud's tense shoulders relaxed at the gentle touch of her hand on his shoulder.

"You're right. We're not. We're living, breathing people and we can fight. We've done it before. But it's different now. I think I understand why Lightning's goddess chose you two."

"Huh?" Cloud straightened and gazed back at her in confusion.

"Think about it. Lightning carries the power of light. You're immune – and this is going to sound so cheesy – to the darkness. Like it or not, we can't win this battle without the both of you working together for a common goal."

"...Bu–"

"Save it until we're on the road, okay? Yuffie's coming over now to watch the kids. I dropped Barrett a line right before I walked in here," Tifa said, rising from the bed and towing Cloud with her.

"Tifa, hold on, please."

"Reno and Rude are outside, waiting for us."

"I need–Why are they here?"

Tifa folded her arms. "I wanted to wait until we were heading over to the clinic to tell you so you weren't alarmed, but...Lightning broke onto a private train car heading out of Sector 0 with her Mont Blanc. No ticket, no authorization, nothing."

"Why?" Cloud muttered.

Why had the two of them been acting so radically since the incident in the hall?

"I was hoping you could tell me. She was in one of Rufus's private cars with Elena and Tseng on their route to Junon. I don't know the finer details but when they tried to take her in she fought. Reno says Elena reported that Lightning jumped off of the train after it was hit by some monster. That's all he knows so far."

Cloud couldn't believe it. Back in that hallway, not even two hours ago, he had threatened Lightning with Ghost's life...or rather, the drawing of his blade implicated it. She had responded with immediate anger–an unreasonable emotion to experience for someone like her –and lashed out at him. But seconds before Lightning rushed at him a shroud of something dark passed over their heads. He remembered this now...his memories of their argument were draped in a film, nearly intangible.

But why? He should remember their words clearly, not in such a haze as he was remembering them now...their actions were unreasonable.

When Cloud first led her up the stairs he had every intention to hand her the Blazefire Saber she treasured so much and explain to her where Ghost was situated, but something came between them in that moment that seemed to take control of his words, and all normal functions shut down, turned off…blocked. That wasn't _him_ when he lifelessly ignored Lightning's desperate calls for acknowledgment of his mistake. That wasn't _him _when he threatened her.

And what about Lightning? Was that really her in the hallway? He didn't know enough about her to come to a conclusive conclusion about her entire persona, but from the small conversations they had at times and from what he _did _know, she wasn't so quick to anger. It wasn't in her.

"I think...something else was in that hallway...from earlier," Cloud murmured, moving past Tifa and into the hallway. To the right was the stairwell and to the left, anther hallway leading to the rest of the second floor.

"Hmm?"

Time to confess. It wasn't going to be pretty by any means.

"This morning I planned on telling Lightning about the decision I made. About Ghost. I was going to offer we take Fenrir and visit him, get to know the clinic so she'd be okay with it. But...when I tried to tell her...my voice..." He struggled to find the words. "...Wasn't my own. I wasn't controlling what I said and I told her...I told her to get her blade, because she was going to need it."

"Cloud..."

"I'm not sure–"

Tifa's cell phone began to vibrate from her hand, emitting a loud ring as the screen lit up with the words:

"Rufus."

"Why is he calling _us_?" questioned Cloud.

Tifa held the phone to her ear. "Hello...Rufus? Is something wrong?"

"_Yes. Is Cloud nearby?" _

"S-Sure," Tifa answered abruptly, handing the device to Cloud.

"Rufus."

"_I see you're not with your comrade, deraiingl trains and fighting dragons in the sky, amongst other things. What a relief_."

Cloud sat up and began to move out of the room, fetching his blade and sunglasses.

"What are you talking about? Where is she?"

"_Your tone would implicate that I have the woman, but as much as I would appreciate the company I'm afraid she is not. We've reported her whereabouts and doings through Miss Lockhart, I assume she transferred the message to you?" _

"Yeah. Why've you called?"

"_You know why. For an answer." _

"You know more than I do. We're going to her now."

"_Help? No, I've given strict orders that no one is to leave the city. Until we can eradicate that monster from the outskirts, I think it's best to block us off from any potential danger."_

Cloud and Tifa descended the stairs, giving a few hushed warnings to Marlene and Denzel. Customers were growing impatient at Tifa's lack of presence in her own bar.

"I don't care. That monster's the same that attacked us after the meeting. You wanted us to find the Artefact? This is our chance."

"_I would vouch for letting those two fight it out and going over the remains, but I assure you, we don't need to rush out of the city at the moment–"_

Cloud snapped the phone shut without a word.

* * *

><p><strong>[<strong>"Kyojin" – Shingeki No Kyojin**]**

A target...is a target.

At least, that was what Lightning was trying to label this new enemy as it sneered at her from his standing position on the tracks, watching her airborne flight above the Eidolon like a patient hawk watches its prey. And for once, Lightning felt exactly like that – prey. It wasn't a feeling she was comfortable with, something she despised...being the weaker of the two.

_But I'm not weak_.

Odin's newfound wings gently flowed up and down, gently levitating in the air to allow Lightning to adjust her position on his back, kneeling along the Eidolon's back while her hand gripped a plate of armor that jutted out from his spine. She didn't understand why Odin was able to shift into that of a dragon-type being but for now it proved helpful. And with the powerful Eidolon beneath her as her mount it gave Lightning confidence, as Odin's presence always did.

'_You were never weak_', she could almost hear Odin say.

Several moments of silence passed until Lightning reached a decision.

"There's no other choice: we kill him now. The original plan was to tail him to the gate he arrived at, but he's too much of a threat..."

_It seems like he can transform at any given time...but coupled with Odin and my own power, I can stop him before he gets the chance. _

"Odin. It's inevitable that he'll try to transform again but for now, this is a battle between him and me; circle him while I take care of the rest. If things go awry, give chase."

There was no human for miles around and with Midgar in close proximity the risk of this new enemy's path diverging to the city was too high. No...there couldn't be another incident like the Healin cliffside.

In one swift motion her hands rose and swept to the side, conjuring a gossamer barrier that, when the time came, would aid in nullifying a potentially fatal strike as extra precaution. She gripped the Blazefire Saber firmly and narrowed her eyes, cooling her nerves and tensing her muscles for the surprise attack that was sure to come.

As predicted the man donned in purple suddenly lunged towards her, nearly flying as their blades crossed and deflected. Odin swooped low to the tracks, allowing Lightning to step off and quickly straightening in time to roll to the side to avoid a vicious uppercut. Lightning's eyes widened as she continued to step backwards, forced to stay on the defensive as he lunged again and again without end, thrusting his colossal blade straight for her heart.

_He's fast! _

Yet, somehow she was nearly able to match his speed with her superb agility, mindful that the battlefield consisted of one 5-foot-wide train track and a bottomless canyon below. She adjusted her steps as needed, taking a few strikes of her own. Again, their blades crossed – gritted teeth, sparks showering over the two of them as each fought for dominance. Lightning, feeling his blade slowly pressuring her into a kneeling position, suddenly threw all of her strength into one movement, shoving him away momentarily and quickly leaping backwards as she muttered a few words and lifted her palm.

_If I combine my speed with my magic, I can win._

She brought her palm down. Hard.

Instantly the air around him crackled to life with sparks of energy, manifesting a slew of thunder to strike the man repeatedly, sending a roaring echo throughout the canyon. After several seconds she drew back, resuming her typical stance on the battlefield as she waited for the smoke to clear, making note of Odin's position as he circled high above. She didn't anticipate the spell had killed him, but it had to have weakened him to some degree–

He emerged without a sound from the smoke and nearly zoomed vertically across the tracks, grunting as he suddenly dug a heel into the track, pivoting and using momentum to slash her heavily across her left shoulder, tearing through several inches of muscle to render it useless.

_How…? _

With one arm useless, Lightning was forced to wield her sword with one hand, only narrowly avoiding actual dismemberment by a hair. Each strike was heavier than the last, more ferocious and merciless. All she could do was continue to raise her blade to block attack after attack. She had no free hand to use magic, either.

_From his actions, he wants me dead. Or he's planning on keeping me alive but in a position where I can't defend myself…using Etro's power will completely drain me of energy, and the risk is too high that it could fail, leaving me powerless… _

However, she soon found an opening. The next time the man attempted an uppercut she deflected to her right side, moving his weight to the edge of the tracks. In the millisecond that she rendered him unbalanced she lashed out with her left foot and hooked it around his knee.

_Now! _

In the next breath she thrust her blade forward, succeeding in piercing his left shoulder as he toppled over the side.

_"Odin, now!"_

Immediately the Eidolon folded his wings and shot downwards, swooping beneath the arched pillars as Lightning leaped off and settled onto his back as the Eidolon raced downwards. At any second the man could transform into Bahamut and counterattack. Lightning intended to end it here and now. Quickly healing her arm she slowly straightened, waiting for the right moment as she summoned a barrage of spells to postpone his transformation. He couldn't be seen through the thick smoke from the blasts of fire but she readied herself anyway, certain that this man was going to die here and now.

"Do it," she whispered, letting herself fall off of the Eidolon's back.

Odin quickly transformed and melded into his standard form in time to grip her hand tightly, swing, and throw her as Lightning pierced the smoke like an arrow. And then spotted his body below her. In an instant she gripped her blade and brought it down on–

The blade sliced through a sudden bout of chaos and thin air.

He was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Shorter than usual, but I decided to split this chapter in order to get it out faster, since it's past due for an update. So, Happy New Year to everyone (though I'm late, I apologize) and onwards to year three of _Worlds Collide_.

I also apologize for how atrocious this fight scene is. I'm hoping to improve so this was my first jab at a full-fledged fighting scene. Not too long since I don't really think fighting scenes in stories are all that interesting (unless you're phenomenal at them like Christopher Pike) but nonetheless, tell me what you think, and feedback on the said scene would be much appreciated. Also, what are your thoughts on these "Voices of the Void Beyond?" Who do you think is recording each individual one? Mysteries abound.

I'm also continuing to update the earlier chapters, so feel free to check those out.

-**Cranberry Knight-XIII**


End file.
